Sword of Destiny
by lemony.club
Summary: To wield the Sword of Promised Victory, one must give up something of great value. For the prosperous future of her homeland, she gives up her humanity in exchange. Even knowing it's wrong to trade such thing, he still stands by her side and helps her achieves her goal no matter the cost.
1. Prologue

**Sword of Destiny** (NarutoxFateStayNight)

**Disclaimer: **This story is fiction. All the characters, names and places belong to their respective owners.

"Talking" – _Thought/Implication _– (Scenario) – **_Important_** – [Special-Language-Tag]

* * *

**=[Prologue]=**

Dried and broken twigs were tossed into the small campfire by a strong gauntleted hand. The added fuel by the seated man caused the flames to soar, crackle and flicker while being bathed in the moonlight that was trickling through the swaying branches of towering trees. The chilling wind of the night hissed and streamed around the small clearly from beyond the moderate dense forest, avoiding an unneeded contest against the wavering heat surrounding its two occupants.

An instinctive gasp came from the half-naked young man, who was lying flatly on his back. His blue eyes snapped open as he pressed his hand onto his bandaged chest, trying to sedate the rapid thumping of his energetic heart. The murky and cloudy sky beyond the tree lines managed to be within his focus for a fraction of a second before he rolled his head to the side and watched the dancing flames instead.

[I'm still alive, somehow,] he muttered softly and gave a breath of relief while brushing back the obscuring golden strands of hair from his eyes. He then rubbed the cracked metal plate around his forehead with a small smile. [How did I get here? Last thing I remembered was falling out of the sky…]

"I see you're conscious," the old man said and made his presence known. "It is remarkable you could recover after a fall from such height. Perhaps the Good Lord sent you here to end this trouble time? If that was truly the case, then why do you bleed?"

The blond did not response as he tried to make out what he was hearing. It was an unfamiliar language.

The older man stroked his trimmed whitebeard with a smile. "Maybe you were made mortal so that we could relate just like His Son centuries ago? Should I treat you like as a mortal then?"

[What did you say? I don't understand,] the young man said with a light headshake and pulled himself into an upright seated position. Ignoring the pulsing pain throughout his body, he looked down his chest and slid a couple of fingers across the thin cloth wrapping. He pulled against the tattered fabric lightly and eyed the older man. [… Hey old man, did you fix me up?]

"Yes. I wasn't sure if it was necessary," the man replied after a brief pause. He didn't understand what the blond had said, but he didn't need to when seeing the gesture. "This is rather difficult. Do you not know the common tongue?"

Hearing the unexpected long reply, the blond slanted his head and gave an awkward stare. [Damn it, I didn't understand any of that. I think he said yes or something from the nod. What kind of language is he speaking? What should I do? Where the hell am I anyway?]

The old man frowned, trying to figure out what kind of tongue the blond was using. When nothing came to his experienced mind, he pondered about his previous assumption. The youth did fall out of the sky, producing an impressive crater upon impact. Any ordinary man would have died in such case.

_Perhaps I will know in due time, _he thought and examined the blond until the flames of the campfire dimmed.

While the blond was still debating with himself in his native language, the old man broke branches he picked up around him into smaller pieces and threw them into the flames. The fire reciprocated by intensifying its illumination and temperature, spitting out sparks and embers with crackling sounds.

"It has been a while since I carried someone this far," he claimed and rubbed his aching shoulder before tightening the leather strap that held his shoulder guard together. The worn out chainmail jingled when he did. He then checked his trusted long sword by his side before smiling at the curious blond. "It looks like I won't get any sleep tonight, and you don't look like you're eager to go anywhere either. Maybe we could keep each other company… you probably don't understand what I'm saying."

[I have no clue what you just said, but whatever,] the blond responded with a headshake while lifting both of his open palms before his eyes.

He clenched them into fists repeatedly. When he felt nothing appeared out of place, he tensed his arms, allowing the life energy to flow through the inner channels toward his palms. The air above his hand shimmered before wind began to swirl into a distorted sphere, producing a loud screeching noise. The technique ended abruptly as he crouched over and grunted in agonizing pain.

"Impressive," the old man acknowledged, seeing the magic that was performed. "I guess you are some sort of sorcerer from a faraway land then? That would make much more sense."

[Shit… that really hurts,] the blond cursed loudly. He took a significant amount of time to straighten his posture and foolishly attempted to perform the technique again. The second attempt met with the same result, only more intense aftereffect.

[What's going on? Why didn't it work?]

"I don't know what you're trying to do besides hurting yourself, but you should wait until your injuries are healed first," the old man suggested after seeing the third fail attempt.

The blond did not understand the given advice. After a dozen more failures, he was panting with exhaustion. [It's not working… Maybe there's something wrong with my pathways?]

He examined each arm carefully, pressing and sliding a couple fingers along the surface toward where he thought the intersecting nodes would be. Discomfort was registered as he applied a small amount of pressure upon those spots. He frowned and stopped doing anything further, lest he wanted to torture himself. While it was not visible on the surface, the damage to his energy coil was extensive.

[Shit… what should I do? I'm not a medic-nin,] he muttered lowly.

"Have you learnt what you needed?" The old man decided to ask when seeing the blond staring blankly at the flames minutes later. His question only met with silence, so he decided to do the same.

Fortunately, there was a language that everyone knew no matter what world they came from. The old man chuckled as he heard the grumbling sound from the blond. Placing his hand into the small pouch bounded around his waist, he took out a loaf of bread and some dried meat. He offered it to the blond without uttering a single word.

[Ummm… thanks, old man.] The small amount of food he was given did not fill his belly, but it was enough for him to immediately like the man if he didn't before. [I wish you could understand me…]

A spark of inspiration made the blond patted his waist, searching for something. He found that most of his gears were missing. Only two working scrolls and a Kunai remained. Gripping the weapon tightly, he started carving up the hardened ground to illustrate something.

The old man watched the blond worked with interest. Before long, as complicate picture was displayed before him. He raised a brow, trying to figure what it was. They were obviously depiction of buildings, but were they were in all drawn in different sizes and shapes.

The blond pointed at his artwork with a smile. [This is my village… the village of hidden leafs, at least this is what it used to look like that.]

"Ah… that's one way to converse, but you're making it too complicated," the old man said and examined the pile of branches he had collected for the night. He flipped through them, searching for one to his liking. When it was found, he used it to draw a circle with a few lines spreading outward. He pointed at the simplistic picture with the held stick and said: "Sun."

[Sun?] The blond questioned when seeing the picture.

"Sun," the old man repeated.

"San? Sunn…" the blond coughed, clearing his throat. "Sun?"

The old man nodded with approval when the blond got the word correctly. He repeated dozens of times with various simple objects that came to his mind, in which the blond recited after him. Eventually, he pointed at himself. "Ector"

The blond blinked, examining carefully where the finger was directed. [His armor is called Ector? No… that didn't seem right. Maybe… his name is.]

With a smile, the blond pointed at his chest. "Naruto."

Ector nodded, realizing the blond was intelligence. He took a moment to think to himself and what to do about the blond. "I supposed I'm not in a hurry. They can do fine without me for a while. It will be good training for them as well, and I am more curious of where you came from, Naruto."

[Huh… okay, I think he said my name at the end… unless Naruto meant something in their language like in mine… fishcake or maelstrom? Nah, that can't be,] Naruto mumbled, trying to understand what the rest of the comment was. [Damn it… I need to learn this language or I'm going to look really stupid.]

A few days went by in a blink of an eye as the blond memorized and understood most of the basic speeches. It was enough to speak with uneducated peasants, but that was not the most interesting thing the old Knight had seen.

Ector was more than impressed when the blond demonstrated that he could hunt down the wild beasts that roamed the forest with little difficulty. The agility and capability the youth had showed was of a highly trained person. "To able to move like this when you're still injured. I'm a bit afraid of what you can do when fully healed."

Naruto blinked at the man, raising a brow while shifting the kill around on his shoulder. He understood some of the words, but sadly, it was not enough to understand the context they were used. He shrugged and patted his bandaged chest. "Is Injured. Hurt."

Ector chuckled. "Yes, you are."

They spent the rest of the day skinning the kills for skin, pelt and ration while trying to hold a proper conversation. It was slow and tedious, but enough for Ector to understand a gist of where the blond had come from.

"I already know the answer, but I wanted to ask anyway to make sure. Do you have a home to go to?"

"Home," Naruto muttered, letting the word rolled on his tongue. He had a detailed glance at the surrounding area, noticing a few villagers chopping down some trees taxingly with a dulled axe. If this was still his world, such a mundane task would be accomplished in seconds. His eyes saddened as he rubbed his damaged forehead protector. "Home… gone."

"… I understand," Ector said. "I supposed if I leave you now, you will not know where to go or what to do. As you are currently, you could easily make a name for yourself in this lawless place, but that is a double edge sword, I'm afraid."

[Slow down, old man. You talk too much and too fast. Did you say something about a sword?]

"Sword?" Naruto asked before pulling out his Kunai from his waist and holding it like a blade. "Want… one."

Ector examined the blond and smiled. He drew his fine steel from it scabbard and flipped it around so that he was holding the blade end. He pointed the handle at the blond. "Show me."

Naruto shrugged and took the weapon in one hand. He swung the balanced steel around him like a novice while feeling its weight, perfectly distributed along the blade, in his hand. After a few more swings, slashing the air, he returned his attention to the old man. "Mine?"

"Hahaha…" Ector laughed and waved his hand dismissively. "Only a Knight may hold such a blade. If you were, I might give it to you."

"Knight?"

"It is a title that must be earned through hard work and dedication," Ector said before frowning. "There are too many that do not deserve it. Maybe that will change in the future."

Naruto was interested even though he didn't understand most of the words the old man had said. He felt being a Knight was an acknowledgement in this place just like being a Shinobi back home. "I want… to be Knight."

"A Knight… yes, I'm sure you can be one of the most renounced Knight through the land," Ector claimed and placed his hand on the blond's shoulder. "Since you do not have a home to go to, then come with me. I will teach you how to be the sword of justice, and one day, you will help bring the peace back to this land."

Naruto accepted even though he wasn't sure what he was accepting to. Since there wasn't anything else he wanted to do, he might as well follow the old man across the country. On the way, he saw some of the most gruesome scenes that the world had to offer. Gravel streets and dirt roads were painted in bloody red. Buildings were torched with many reduced to rubbles. Corpses, young and old, were pinned into walls of their homes brutally without a single shred of clothing on them.

"This is the current state of my homeland," Ecktor said while Naruto looked around the sacked town, feeling nauseating at the decaying stench riding the wind. "Not long ago, there was a mighty empire that was thought to be indestructible by all. That wasn't true of course. Nothing can last forever, but at least for a time, such an empire provided safety and stability. My only wish is to see such day come again."

Naruto didn't utter a single word while he stared at a corpse of a child nearby. The little girl must have died of shock since there were no puncture wounds on her body. The only bloodstain he could see was around her legs, which were bended awkwardly to the side.

"Come," Ecktor requested before Naruto could investigate the corpse further. "Whoever did this is probably long gone, and we shouldn't stay here."

Naruto did a headshake. "I want… funi… burial."

"It's better to leave them be, Naruto," Ector advised, scanning the area. "Diseases have killed more people than any invading army could ever have, so you shouldn't touch their corpses as they are. The best we could do is burn their body from afar, but it has been damped lately."

Pursing his lips, Naruto gave a nod as he deciphered the words. Even in the Elemental Nations, corpses were left scattered around until it decomposed fully so this was nothing new. He was about to leave the scene, but the dead eyes of the girl flashed in his mind.

"Can't… leave," he mumbled. Clenching his fist tightly, he faced the corpse once more. Even knowing that he should not use any technique during the healing period, he did it anyway. A small flaming sphere rammed into the corpse, ripping it apart and turning it into ash. The ashen remains rode the wind while he gripped his right arm tightly.

"Let me see," Ector said and checked the arm while the owner winced in pain. "You should not have done that. Did you not say your magical pathways are being healed even if very slowly? If you keep channeling power through them while they are healing, you will lose the use of this arm permanently."

"I'm sorry… I wanted to … for her."

Ector did not wish to scold the blond further since he could do that later. "I understand what you're feeling, but doing something like this will not be beneficial to you or anyone else in the end. Please think carefully next time. Do you understand?"

"Yes..."

"I hope you really do. It would be a great loss to lose the usage of your sword hand over something small like this. Having compassion is good, but do not allow it control you. I don't think we should be detouring anymore."

Naruto nodded in understanding and followed the older man away from the desolated place. It took almost a week to reach their final destination, which was a small village surrounded by farmland. There were dozens of peasants working in each field while there were kids roaming the graveled street. There were a few guards, watching the surrounding for any sign of marauders in their wooden towers.

"Father," a brown-haired man called out from the nearby field. He did not look like a farmer from the tunic he adorned and the sword holstered in his belt. "I was worried when you didn't return for days, but it seems my fear was unfounded. I do hope your journey was pleasant."

"As pleasant as it could be," Ector responded with a frown. The entire country was completely fractured with each pieces controlled by a different Lords. "I will tell you more when we get home. No, what were you doing in the field? Are you slacking off again?"

"Huh? No, I was just helping some villagers out with their task of plantation," he replied.

Naruto looked around and noticed there were only young girls from the field the man came from.

"I see… I will accept that for now," Ector said before motioning Naruto to him. "This is Naruto. I think he will make a good sparring partner, and Naruto, this is my only son, Kay."

"What? You can't be serious," Kay said, jabbing his finger at the Naruto. "Does he even know how to hold a blade, let alone use it?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man as he understood the gist of what was said. "I'm… strong."

"Eh…? Why do you speak like that?" Kay questioned.

"Naruto is from another land. He only learned how to speak our tongue in the last few weeks. It is already impressive that he managed to grasp this much understanding. He's a very fast learner if he put his mind to it," Ector said before forming a smile. "In fact, I can say for sure that if you slack off too much, Naruto will surpass you in swordsmanship in a matter of months."

"Surpass me?" Kay snorted. "Maybe he can reach my level in a decade, but then I will be so far out of his league!"

"I will… soon," Naruto said confidently while tapping his chest.

"Perhaps. By the way, where's your sister?" Ector asked. "Shouldn't she be with you?"

"Probably somewhere in the field, practicing by herself as usual," Kay said while staring at Naruto, who stared back at the taller man without flinching. "You want to have a match right now?"

"A match," Naruto mumbled, rubbing his right arm in discomfort. He was in no position to do so, but something like that had never stopped him before. "I –

"Brother, why do you pick on someone weaker than you?" A voice nearby called out, acquiring their attentions. "Such action is not honorable."

Naruto saw the pale blond-haired girl with sharp green eyes approaching them. If the old man didn't stated she was a girl moment ago, he would have assumed her to be male from the manly attire she'd adorned.

"Father, I'm glad you are home and safe," she greeted her father, who nodded.

"This is –

"Naruto… my name is Naruto," Naruto greeted as he outstretched his hand toward her. He pondered why he did so since the gesture wasn't required as far as he'd observed. He felt a bit foolish standing there like that as Kay stared at him with a raised brow from the side.

"Arturia," Arturia greeted in stride, taking his hand before he could retreat it. It was the first time he felt her touch and captured her genuine smile.

* * *

**Author Notes:**

Just a note, every character right now is speaking old-English, but I don't write it like that. It's confusing and annoying just to decipher from your end so I keep it simple. Those that followed me already know the pairing so I won't say anything about it.


	2. Road to Knighthood (1)

**Sword of Destiny** (NarutoxFateStayNight)

**Disclaimer: **This story is fiction. All the characters, names and places belong to their respective owners.

"Talking" – _Thought/Implication _– (Scenario) – **_Important_** – [Special-Language-Tag]

* * *

**=[Road to Knighthood]=  
1**

A powerful thrust sent the blade deep into the hardwood of a century old tree. The sharp edge of the sword was then retrieved immediately. In the followed up maneuver, the blade was swiftly embedded deep into the tree again. He didn't remember how many times he had repeated the thrust, but it must have been thousands – tens of thousands – of times in the last several hours.

"You are doing it wrong," Arturia told him in her approach up the hill. She was to be his instructor for the day, but only had arrived when the sun reached its zenith. He didn't mind since she was busy with something else. Everyone, from the lowly servant to the noblest merchant, in the village was always busy. Besides young children, the rest were usually up and walking about at first ray. It took him a few days to get use to the schedule since he liked to sleep in.

Sir Kay was supposed to instruct him today, but the man found better things to do in the surrounding pastures and fields than training his potential rival. From their elevated position, Naruto and Arturia could see the prideful young Knight laughing with a few girls from the village below. With the way the conversation was progressing, it was likely that Kay won't be returning home for the night.

_Was it wrong to sleep with one's servant? _Naruto pondered. It was shocking for him to learn that the old man was relatively rich, but his wealth was distributed among the servants living under him so they could have an adequate life during the time of chaos. _Most Knight owned lands and have peasants families serving under them… hmm… what should I do with my land? Grow some stuff like the old man and live day by day? That doesn't sound too bad either…_

"Are you day dreaming again?" She asked.

"Eh… no, I was just thinking about the pervert that is your brother," Naruto jested.

Arturia was not amused the slightest.

"Sorry… what were you saying? Oh right. What other ways to… stab and cut?" Naruto questioned skeptically. He rubbed and twisted his wrist, melting away the accumulated stress in his arm. There were more holes in the tree than cuts from slashes as he forgot to alternate between slashing and stabbing again.

Arturia let out a small sigh. "Did father actually tell you to actually stab and cut the tree?"

"Hmm… the old man did, in his own way," Naruto answered after a long pause. He wasn't really exactly sure what Ector had wanted him to do when he was given a sword. He was told to practice his skills against the trees on the outskirt of the village.

"Are you sure that's what father asked you to do?" She questioned, pronouncing each word slowly and loudly while staring intently at him for any sign of deception.

"Ummm… maybe," Naruto responded weakly with a sweat-dropped when matching her gaze. "The old man might have said something else… I didn't understand fully since he talks too fast. I tried to ask him again, but he was talking to this strange guy in cloak with top half of his face covered. They both went somewhere when I wasn't looking."

"A guy in cloak?" Arturia questioned with a thoughtful expression. She had some idea who that was since he seemed to appear around the village lately.

"Yeah…? Do you know him?"

She gave a headshake and drew her own blade. It was the same sword in his hand, but the way she unsheathed it from its simple scabbard made him awed. "Father's business is not of my concern, so let us return to the task. Anyone from lowborn to highborn can do something like this with a sword. You, who wish to be a Knight, must know how to use a sword correctly."

"What do you mean? I thought I was using it correctly?" Naruto questioned. Even though he rarely held a blade in his seventeen years of life, it wasn't hard to use a weapon. Just stab your opponent with the pointy end. If they didn't die first try, repeat. It wasn't rocket science.

Arturia didn't answer. Instead, she walked to an adjacent tree. She slashed and stabbed it dozens of times in the passing a few seconds. Another second went by before she stopped and pointed the sword at a gash and a puncture wound upon the wood she'd skillfully produced.

"I'm sure father would have asked you do something like this," Arturia clarified as Naruto examined the tree closely. The gashes upon the hardwood seemed like they were made with a single thrust and a slash rather than dozens of the same.

"So… hit them in the same spot? That's not too hard," Naruto claimed. He moved to the side and stood before an undamaged tree with sword gripped tightly in hand. He attempted the same thing as Arturia had demonstrated moment ago, but realized the task was far more difficult than he'd initially thought. Some of his thrusts missed the center of his target, making the punctured hole far larger than it should be. His slashes were not coming in the same angle each time, thus producing a wedge instead a nice deep cut.

"Oh… hmmm…" Putting up his free hand at Arturia, he defended himself. "Wait!… I can do it … give me a couple of hours."

Arturia pondered if Naruto could in such a short amount of time. "If you can do in the short amount of time then it will be nothing short of amazing, but you should know, that's not all to the exercise. You also need to train your control."

"Hah? Control?"

She nodded and moved toward the first tree again. Pushing her long sword through one of the holes he had made, the blade went right through to the other side. Withdrawing her sword, she thought to herself, recalling the lecture that her father had given her. "To a Knight, a weapon they wielded is an extension of their body. They must learn how to use as if it was their own limb. This task is to make you more accurate and precise with each strike you unleash."

"Okay… but accuracy and precision are not same thing?" Naruto questioned.

"No," Arturia replied and returned her attention to the tree. She tightened her grip around the handle as her green eyes sharpened. "I will do a hundred thrust to the other side. Watch carefully and you will understand what you must do."

With each thrust, a noise of metal against wood was emitted as the hole in the tree became deeper and deeper. At the hundredth thrust later, the sword tip finally pierced through to the other side, but only barely. She then pulled the sword back out fully.

He understood what she did, but still frowned at the effort. "Is it… necessary? You can do in one, can't you?"

"Yes, I can," Arturia said and bisected the tree at an angle with one swing with little effort, "but cutting down trees in one slash isn't the point of the exercise. As a Knight, you will one day battle dozens if not hundreds of foes at one time. Using excessive amount of strength to defeat each opponent will quickly tire you out. There are times that you will have to fight days on end without proper rest so you must learn how to use and conserve your strength when it matters most."

"Oh… I see," Naruto said and looked at his blade closely. The afternoon sunlight reflected off its slicked steel surface. Steel weapon was expensive, but Ector had one made for him so he appreciated it. "So that means the more thrusts I do to penetrate through the tree mean the better control I have?"

"Yes. Each thrust you exerted must have the same amount of power with the final one pierce through the end," Arturia said. "If you master it, you should able to control how much force you should exert against an opponent in order to defeat him."

_Is that the differences between a Knight and a person who runs around with a sword? How is she able to cut through the tree without exerting herself at all? _Naruto thought.

"What are you thinking?"

"Nothing really, Arturia-sensei," Naruto replied absentminded.

"Sensei?"

"Oh… sorry, in my language, it means teacher. Just a force of habit," Naruto answered.

"Teacher. That term is for those that sell trades like a blacksmith or baker to their apprentice. A farmer to his son, in order to create a copy in the future," Arturia said dryly. She then sheathed her sword and frowned. "You are not learning any form of techniques from me, and I will not teach you any in the future. Father would not do so either. A Knight must find his own style after he learns how to wield and use his weapon. As such, I am not your teacher."

"Eh? That's… kind of cold," Naruto mumbled, trying to understand the hard logic behind her words. "If that the case, what do I call you when you teach… instruct me then?"

"Arturia is fine or sister if you prefer," she replied.

"W-what!? S-sister!?" Naruto asked. "When did that happen? How did that happen?"

"Father said he'd adopted you, so we should treat each other like a family," she answered. "Since I am about three years younger than you if you did not lie about your age, I'm to be your younger sister, but do not call me that. Just sister is fine."

While trying to close his jaw from falling on the ground, he stared questioningly at the pale blond-haired girl. He only knew Ector – the wise old man – for a couple of months. True, Ector had shown him kindness he had not seen in most of his life, but he could not fathom how could someone went from total stranger to family member in such a short span of time.

"Did he really adopt me? I'm to be your older brother? Is this some kind of a joke?"

Arturia remained stoic, however. "Father had said you came from a faraway land, which lies across the endless sea so the way thing there might be different, but I thought he would at least explain to you when you wanted to be a true Knight."

"Huh…? What does me wanting to be a Knight have to do with… family matter?"

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Father didn't tell you anything?"

"Stop that, why don't you tell me?"

Arturia coughed to stifle her amusement while the blond raised his brow. She then pursed her lips before giving a light nod as if she understood something unsaid. "There are two ways for one to be recognized as a Knight."

"Two…?" Naruto questioned. He was still unsure what it had to do with him being adopted.

She gripped the handle of her sword and eyed her older brother, Kay, playing around down in the recently planted field. He was surrounded by infatuated girls because Knight in the current era was heralded. "A son of a noble family can become a Knight when he comes of age as long as he desires it. It is the most common way as most Knights are of a prestige lineage." Turning her head, she faced Naruto. "The second way to be knighted is through recognition and achievement. If these are the two paths available before you, which do you prefer?"

The seventeen year old blond contemplated an answer with a frown. _So that was it. _He already knew which path he wanted to take. It wasn't any different from how he'd started five years ago when he didn't know he was the son of the Fourth Hokage. He'd won his own recognition through his own strength and dedication, but it bothered him. Did he truly deserve it when considering all that Kurama, Asura, and Hagoromo had done for him?

The only answer Naruto gave he was returning to the tree and continued his task. It was the only thing he ever good at in his entire life. That was to train and become stronger.

Arturia smiled after seeing his conviction and left the area to tend to her own personal training. When the sun had started to hide in the horizon, ushering darkness upon the world, she returned to the spot again, only to find Naruto snoozing amidst tall grasses.

She waited after a moment before speaking up: "So you couldn't do?"

"Do what?" Naruto mumbled, opening the right eye and saw Arturia towering over him. He rolled to the side and flipped up onto his feet. "Nah, I already did an hour ago. I was just waiting for you to come back. Do you want to see it?"

"There is no need. I believe you," Arturia replied with a smile.

"Eh? Really? Are you sure you want to take my word for it?"

"Yes, it's not necessary," Arturia said. "If you lie about your achievement, the only one that suffers in the end is you."

"… But I worked so hard all day just to show you," Naruto sulked on the ground. "I even create a cool sword technique too."

Arturia frowned while watching the blond. "You should not do it for such thing. The greatest reward is in the accomplishment itself, not the emptied praises you might hear from others. But if you want to show me to prove something, then you can do it tomorrow. For now, you… we should return home before the last light fade."

_Isn't that the whole point of being a Knight? Being praised and heralded for one's accomplishment that would be passed down into legend? _Naruto thought, staring up at Arturia. "Alright, I will show you my awesome techniques tomorrow. I need to talk to the stupid old man anyway."

Arturia nodded and started heading toward the village, leaving him behind.

"Wait," Naruto called and got on his feet to run after her. "By the way, does that mean you're also a Knight by right?"

"I am not of age," Arturia reminded him. She was only fourteen. "Even if I was, I would not allow to be knighted by any lords."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because I was born a female," Arturia answered hollowly.

Naruto snorted loudly as he zigzagged behind her. "What that has to do with anything?"

Arturia stopped moving, letting the blond catch up to her. "Females by law are not allowed to be knighted. Females do not have any power in a society dominated by men because we considered as weak and feeble creature. We are more or less a commodity to be used at men's leisure."

"Huh? There was some law like that?" Naruto questioned, raising a brow. _If the Hokage had said that women were not allowed to be Kunoichi, he would have a rebellion on his hand._ Naruto chuckled at the thought. "Who made something like that up?"

"No one did, but this is how it is for millennia and will continue long after," Arturia said, eyeing the blond. "I suppose your homeland does not have such way of thinking?"

"Hell no, the current leader Hokage… umm a King you could say is a woman," Naruto said with a dreadful gulp. "She's one of the deadliest and most feared Kunoichi. Kunoichi is like a female Knight I guess."

"Your homeland sounds like a great country, to not differentiate between genders. Maybe if I was born there then maybe father would not abandon me at birth," Arturia said.

Naruto noticed that there was sadness in her voice before blinking. "Huh? What you mean the old man abandon you? Did I understand that correctly?"

"I was thinking about something else. Forget what I just said," Arturia said as she continued ahead to their home.

Naruto sighed and followed suit. "The King is the one who have absolute power right? Since no one has become King yet, maybe I should? Then I can change this crappy rule about female not allowed to be knighted."

She smiled at his declaration. "I thought you wanted to be Knight, not a King?"

"Who said I can't be both at the same time? If a Knight can't be King then I will be King first then make myself a Knight," Naruto responded cheekily.

"That's not a bad idea," Arturia said.

"Really!? Hehehe… I was just saying that's all," Naruto said, scratching his cheek shyly.

"If we are just saying, what if I was to be King? Would you follow me even if the whole world rejected me for what I am?"

Naruto was in thought. It didn't take him more than a second to kneel before Arturia. He lowered his head toward the ground while his lips formed a wide smile. "Of course, Your Majesty. This lowly servant will serve you until his final breath. Even if the whole world turned against you, I will stand by your side even to the bitter end."

"How is that?" Naruto asked, lifting his head up with a grin.

"It's good, and I will hold you to it one day," Arturia said as she placed her sword on his shoulder. "Rise, Sir Naruto, the first Knight."

"Awesome… ahem, thank you, my King," Naruto thanked as he rose while gripping his sword handle by his waist. "If only it could be that easy."

"It will not be, but a King does not lie," Arturia asserted as she sheathed her sword. "Father does not believe in the prophecy, but do you?"

_Do I? Did my prophecy even come true in the end? _Naruto pondered as he rubbed his neck. The phantom chokehold was felt as his ear rung with the demand. _I will have your chakra, she had declared._

"I hope it would be," Naruto said, letting his hand dropped. He wanted to believe that the Elemental Nations had entered a stage of peace and understanding after the devastating war, or all they had fought and died for would be for naught.

* * *

**Author Notes:**

This is Nasuverse, not our universe so it's not going to be historically accurate, but according to the legend, Arturia become King when she's 15, uniting and ruling Britain for 10 years until her death somewhere in the early sixth centuries. Her body stops growing when she pulled Caliburn out of the stone and given Avalon (by Merlin), so that makes her a jailbait. Thank you for the shout outs in review.


	3. Road to Knighthood (2)

**Sword of Destiny** (NarutoxFateStayNight)

**Disclaimer: **This story is fiction. All the characters, names and places belong to their respective owners.

"Talking" – _Thought/Implication _– (Scenario) – **_Important_** – [Special-Language-Tag]

* * *

**=[Road to Knighthood]=  
2**

Ector was a simple, but wise man. He'd served his King for most of his life, and for his insurmountable achievements, he was awarded with a few acres of fertile land to raise a family. Even in his retirement, he still served his late King faithfully by raising a possible heir in the best way he could. Seeing how his revered King had passed away without a true born son, the burden and future of his homeland rested upon another person.

"It has been a while, old friend," a young hooded man said when entered an emptied clearing amidst the ancient trees. Following closely behind was another person, adoring brown tunic and masking his chainmail armor beneath. A sheathed long sword was secured tightly around his belt.

"Yes, I believed it has, Merlin," Ector responded with a nod. "Has it already been fourteen years?"

"About," Merlin agreed. "I would have returned to see you sooner, but I was scouring the ruins for some lost artifacts in a faraway land. The task took longer than I have anticipated."

"Faraway land," Ector mumbled while brushing the leaves and snapped branches off the surface of a tree stump. He sat down, feeling his age for a fraction of a second as he stretched his limbs. "I suppose you did find what you are looking for in that faraway land."

"Yes, I have," Merlin replied and found his own wooden seat provided by nature across the old Knight. A smirked formed under his hood. "Now, now, aren't you a bit interested in where I went in the decade long?"

"Not at all," Ector replied, returning the expression. "Where you went is not my concern, and even if you did tell me, I doubt I knew where it is."

"Understandable," Merlin said, knitting his fingers together and seated in a mediated position. "The world is full of wonders. That boy is also from faraway land, is he not?"

"What make you say so?" Ector questioned after a short pause. He did not tell Merlin where Naruto had come from after he learnt from the boy. "Is it because of his magic?"

"Magic," Merlin repeated before humming in thought for a moment. "I felt no **_Od _**within his person, and no **_Mana_** surrounding him, yet he still able to do feat that would be impossible otherwise. He is not a magus by any mean, but you already knew that."

"Yes. It is one of the reasons why I've brought him home," Ector responded, scratching his chin and trimmed white beard thoughtfully. "Leaving him roaming the world on his own will likely be a grave mistake. If I did not take him with me, someone else might likely have."

"That was wise decision," Merlin agreed wholly. "A rogue magus is very disconcerting. A **_Magus Knight_** is truly frightening."

"A Magus Knight. Those that excelled in both might and magic," Ector murmured, rubbing the handle of his sword as it glowed lightly under his power. "I wish my son were as such, but that was only a hopeful dream. The magic of my line has reached its end with me."

"It is a pity," Merlin said, thinking about heroes of the old. "I fear one day magic would fade completely from the world. What would that world be like?"

"That is beyond my life time I'm afraid," Ector said, cracking his bones with a shrug. "I might drop dead one day soon so I don't think too far ahead."

"Oh please, you could live for another decade and more," Merlin wheezed.

"It is not likely, but I can try my best to hold onto this mortal coil until I can no longer," Ector responded with a weary sigh. "Maybe not until I have imparted my wisdom to the boy, and I don't need a prophecy to tell me that he could do great things in years to come."

"You seem to have high hope for someone you barely knew," Merlin commented.

"I know enough," Ector said confidently as Merlin raised a brow. "Let's just call it intuition for now."

"Very well," Merlin accepted. "Did he explain how he was able to do the thing he do?"

"Not in so many words," Ector replied. He tried hard to remember the foreign words, but language was not his forte. "What he has within his body is… hmm… Chakra, I believed that was the word. It allows him to use his brand of magecraft called Jutsu similar like Prana to a magus. Sadly, he is unable to use it to the full extend due to his internal injury."

"Internal injury? How strange. He appears to be perfectly fine."

"I did ask him the same thing after a personal examination," Ector said, "but only he knew what was going on inside his body. There is no reason to make up such a lie. Besides, the discomfort he displayed when using his ability was genuine, at least to my eyes."

"Assuming he did not lie, any idea on his full strength?"

"No, but it may be greater than we could imagine."

"If that is the case, he could be a great ally for His Majesty in the future, but he could also be a great obstacle. I suggest –

"My daughter is not yet King," Ector interjected. "It is not to say I do not believe she has the capacity to be King. The day I held the tiny girl in my arms, it was as if I was holding my own King. A fragile child, she was, but the air surrounding her made me shivered."

Merlin displayed a smile. "So you raised her as your successor, and how did that work out?"

"Did you see that in one of your prophecy?" Ector snorted skeptically. He never believed in any form of predefined destiny. He strictly believed the future was one's own making, for better or worst. Freewill was the most sacred gift from the Lord to men after all.

"No. I do not need such to use such ability to see the inevitable outcome," Merlin replied flatly. "No matter how much you try to persuade her otherwise, the blood of a King flowed in her vein. She would not settle for anything less."

"Only a King can save a ruined country headed for death," Ector recited lowly from memory. It wasn't loud enough for the powerful magus to hear, but the man heard it anyway.

"Interesting statement… that's true," Merlin said.

"No, it is not," Ector corrected with a frown. "A King cannot save a country without the support of his subjects and citizens. Without those that followed him out of admiration or loyalty, a King can do no more than an ordinary man."

"Ahahahaha… after all these years, you are still wise," Merlin admitted.

"And you, younger, but not wiser. You were much more in the days we accompanied Uther on his great journey," Ector said.

Merlin chuckled, taking the criticism in stride.

Both men still remembered their adventures even if it was decades ago, but the most vivid image they could recalled was when their leader stood battered and bloody before the greatest of all **_Phantasm Beast_**. No fear could be discerned in their leader's face as he glared into the face of death, and with his unwavering spirit against the titan, his victory was assured.

"For a mortal to defeat me in single combat, I congratulate you," the dragon had said while its magical blood mixed with those of the dying King while he lay beneath its mangled claw. "But only one of us may die this day. You are the victor so you must live. It is you right. With my life, your flesh shall make anew, and from this day onward, I bestowed upon you the name Pendragon; may those from your loin gods among men; may the sky tremble before their might; may children of the earth forever remember their passing."

"Yes, Yes, I remembered all our quests clearly, and how young and foolish we were," Merlin said before frowning about his current youthful appearance. "I'm still young. To suffer the agony of birth, that was my curse when I peered into the swirl of root and rejected it."

Ector nodded in understanding. Reaching Akasha, the Root, was a pinnacle of those who followed the path of magecraft. "But is it not the greatest thing for an Incubus to relieve the era of one's youth?"

"For most, but I became more immature with each new sun. These sinful urges to satisfy my own desire will overwhelm my reason in the near future."

"What the worst could happen?" Ector questioned with a sneaky grin. "It's won't be anything I have not seen before. My son has been abusing his privilege and status to sleep with every girl at arm length. I've tried to lecture him on his misbehavior, but do you know what he told me?"

"Life is too short, father. It's better to spent as much of it now before I'm unable to," Kay had said with pride.

"The so ever proud son of mine," Ector said and sighed. "I might have some bastard grandchildren running around soon at this rate."

Loud laughers came from the wizard. "Please, is that not the reason why you wanted to live in such a seclude place?"

"That is not the way to create one's family," Ector said disapprovingly. He was disappointed at how his only true born son had turned out. While the young Knight had displayed many virtues, he'd also shown many vices. "Just because they threw themselves upon him, doesn't mean he should take advantage of it without a thought. He shown no restrain and has no intention of doing so."

"And why is that a bad thing? He is young and full of vigor, so let him enjoy what the world has to offer."

"I do not wish to disrespect my late wife or my daughter, but written history had taught me much. The downfall of many great heroes is usually at the hand of a woman," Ector said. "Women will be the death of him one day."

Merlin mused. "Ah, but what is a man, who did not die in a warm bosom of a woman?"

Ector glared at the wizard, who crackled up.

Both men continued discussing many things they had done in the passing years while the sun descended into the horizon. Darkness filled the woods once the last ray had faded, but it was expelled by a wave of hand from the magus. Flames erupted in the shape of a small dragon and encircled the ground, drawing in scattered branches and forming a campfire.

"Using magic for such mundane task," Ector grumbled and stood up from his spot. "I don't have much left in my pocket, but I'm sure I still have the capacity to feed you."

"Heh, that will not be necessary," Merlin chuckled. "I'm waiting for someone. It is the reason why I brought you here. I need your wisdom on what I should do."

"Oh?" Ector questioned and sat back on the stump.

"Dragons are quiet territorial creatures, are they not? No land should have more than one, lest one wished to see the earth burns," Merlin said with a sigh.

"Yes, they are," Ector agreed.

"After Igraine died, he sought comfort in another; a Fay of all people. A child was born between the unions."

"Uther sired another child? Is it a boy?"

"Sadly, no," Merlin said. "But that did not make her less of a dragon. Unlike Arturia, she was raised to be a magus. With blood of a Dragon and magic of the Fay, she also has strong desire the throne."

Ector was conflicted at the knowledge. "Without a male heir, and by the line of succession, it does not belong to her. Unless…"

Merlin frowned as he looked at the night sky. "I only learnt of her recently, but I hope she won't do anything foolish."

At the edge of the wood the two men were in, a girl with dark eyes and curly shoulder length hair stared at the nearby town, which stood in the opposite direction. She was requested to meet up with Merlin, her current mentor, but something within the town caught her interest.

"So there you are," Morgana said as eerie blue magical circle hovered around her. She floated up in the air as her dark long dress flustered in the wind along with her hair. She drew large amount of mana from the surrounding into her body and empowered her power greatly. With a devilish grin, she blasted off toward the unsuspecting town.

* * *

**Author Notes:**

Chapter length is really depends on the average responses. See my profile for that.

Arturia is quiet fragile without her technique called **_Prana Burst_**. Magus Knight is mentioned in this chapter, but will describe in detail later on when they appear. They are all Servant Level with cursed or holy weapons called phantasm, and are more dangerous than the one that the Holy Grail summon because they aren't cheap copies.


	4. Road to Knighthood (3)

**Sword of Destiny** (NarutoxFateStayNight)

**Disclaimer: **This story is fiction. All the characters, names and places belong to their respective owners.

* * *

**=[Road to Knighthood]=  
3**

When Ector lectured, he listened with an undivided mind like a diligent and keen student. When Ector was nearby and watching him trained attentively, he complied with the old man's wishes and carried out the instructions to the best of his ability. Finally, when Ector was nowhere in sight, he would do whatever he felt as the best option.

It was not always the best option for him, however.

Naruto understood clearly the reason why he was not allowed to tap into the power he was born with unless a dire situation demanded it. He could feel that reason with his whole body if he did not understand it fully. The pulsing and painful sensation rippled through his flesh whenever he mustered and gathered his otherworldly energy had constantly reminded him what was at stake. If he kept using his ability for mundane things whenever the chance arise, the longer they would heal.

With that in mind, he was growing frustrated while crouching by the outside wall of the home made of hard stone and wood. It was his home for the last few weeks. He looked at a small piece of flint and steel in each of hands before grinding them together in order to produce sparks for the bundled up dried straws.

"Damn it, just one small fire jutsu and boom, we have fire. So much simpler than doing using these stupid things," Naruto growled lowly when he failed again.

_Patience is a virtue_, or so that what Sir Ector had said. Virtue, Naruto had plenty, but the same could not be said with patience. The blond sighed and continued trying to set them on fire. The task might be training in disguise; to test his limit.

"Perhaps allow me, young Lord," said a silhouette of a hunched over person that crept up on him from behind. The voice was all too familiar, and he would have greeted the woman in a calm and composed manner if her face was not right next to his shoulder.

"Ahhhhh!" He instinctively let out a shrilling scream like a frightened child when wrinkly and sagged skin of an old hag was captured in the corner of his eyes.

Jerking away from the horrible sight, he held his chest to hold his thumping heart it in place and taking in several mouthful of air, hyperventilating in shock. Once he calmed himself, he face-palmed before pointing at the old woman in annoyance. "Can you please stop doing that, Oba-san? It's creepy as hell! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"I beg for your forgiveness, young Lord, but the young Lady is getting impatience. She asked me to check on you and if possible, finish the task," the woman apologized while picking up the dropped pieces of flint and steel. She frowned when examining each of them individually and rubbing her skeletal fingers at the fissured lines. "You are using too much force, young Lord."

Naruto frowned and pulled himself off the dirt. "I am? Was that it?"

"Yes. Less strength produced better results as the grinding creates finer grains," she responded and sloop over the small bundle of straws. With one swipe with the two materials, sparks jumped out and formed a small ember on the straws. She held the burning straws up and used them to ignite the fire woods and coals in order to start up the boiler. "It will take a while for the liquid to be of any use so please return back inside. Your meal has been prepared."

Giving a shrug, Naruto complied and followed the old woman inside through the nearby door. They both entered a murky kitchen after passing through a short dark hallway. He leered briefly at his dancing shadow upon the wall when standing in the room. The blurred silhouette was following the direction given by the flickering flames of the numerous candles that were placed at the center of a long wooden table.

He took his seat, facing Arturia at the other end while the woman placed down a steaming bowl on the table before him with some wooden and iron utensils by its side. Not a second passed, his eyes were staring intently at the brownish soup, securitizing the floating sliced meats and diced vegetables amidst the rolled strands made of wheat flours.

"Young Lord, please don't stare at your food like that," the woman advised sternly. She then tapped the wooden spoon next to his hand, inviting him to take it. "The young Lady had took much time to prep–

"There is no more task need to be done for the evening, so you should return to your home and tend your family," Arturia interjected while stirring her own bowl from the opposite side of the table.

The woman paid attention to the blond-haired and teal colored eyes girl. "Are you sure I am not needed anymore? What about the master?"

"I am sure," Arturia confirmed with a light nod. "If father do return sometime tonight, I will take care of him in your place. Please have a good rest for the night."

The peasants – serfs – did not argue with those of prestige bloodline and lineage. "Thank you," the woman said, giving a respectable bow. "You are too kind."

Arturia gave another nod as the woman turned around and moved towards the doorway.

"See you later, Oba-san," Naruto added when the woman was about to leave the room. She smiled at him, showing her rotting set of teeth before giving a light bow. Once she finally left, Naruto broke out of his nauseating state, shivered slightly and stared back down at the bowl. "I think I lost my appetite… so what's for dessert?"

Arturia let go of the fork and eyed him thoughtfully. Her eyes shifted slightly as she pursed her lips. She appeared more like a maiden than a warrior. "Is there something wrong with it?"

"Ah… no, there's nothing wrong with it. It just that… umm… it isn't appealing," Naruto said while staring around, avoiding the direct confrontation with the only other person in the room.

A couple of weeks around the small village and consuming the same mediocre stuff over and over, he would give anything to eat the food of the god again. Sadly, no one knew how to make something similar so he tried to explain taxingly to the peasants what ramen was. A few peasants had attempted to make it from the description he gave them, but what they created could be called an abomination to the gourmet world.

"I apologize that it isn't what you wanted. I will remake it to your liking," Arturia said blankly. She was about to get up from her seat.

"Eh…? There's no need for you to do that," Naruto said, staring at the bowl. He took the fork by the bowl side and rubbed it between his fingers briefly. Swallowing any hesitation and possibly fear, he dug into what he called an experimental bowl of ramen.

It tasted… bland.

Sucking up the wheat noodles in one go, he allowed it to slime down his throat and to his emptied stomach. "It the best thing I have eaten since I came here. Thanks for making it."

"Please do not lie to me," Arturia said frowningly while poking her own bowl with a fork. "I have tasted it so I know it's not good. The recipe is far more complicated than most of the meal I've prepared."

"Yeah… it's not," Naruto admitted while staring at the soup. "But this is a lot better than what the villagers tried to ram down my throat." He wrapped the noodles around his fork's end and placed them in his mouth. He chewed it for a few second before swallowing it all. "Don't worry about it. You've only started a week ago so, who knows, maybe one day it will be the best ramen I've ever tasted. For now, let's enjoy and finish this… whatever this is. The old man will scold and punish the both of us for wasting food if we don't. Hehehe…"

Arturia agreed wholly and continued with her meal. She eyed him every now and then as he was glancing around the room. "Is there something else bothering you?"

"Ah… no," Naruto said as he looked down at the table. "It just feels kind of different since we're siting so far from each other. Usually when the old man or Kay here, we're at in the middle of the table and really close up."

"It would be odd sitting in the middle of the table with two ends vacated," Arturia responded.

"Yeah, I guess that would be strange," Naruto admitted and slurped up some more noodles along with pieces of meats. Once he chewed and swallowed, he pointed his fork forward. "Hey, what about a round table with no ends? We could sit anywhere we wanted and it still feels natural."

"A round table and no ends…?" Arturia questioned and took a few minutes to think. Many would object to something like that since everyone seated at a round table would imply they were to be on equal ground. Sadly, people were not equal. "That does sound like a good idea, and I'm sure father would agree unlike your other ideas."

"Eh… really?" Naruto asked with mild surprise. Ever since he was stranded, anything and everything he suggested seemed way too out there for anyone to consider seriously. Talking about things like basic illumination and plumbing labeled him as a lunatic. In the end, he simply dropped the matter. "I mean, yeah, of course it is. I got a few more better ones. Want to hear it?"

"Yes, I would like to know," Arturia said with a small smile. The casual conversation went on for a while, and before either of them realized it, their bowl was long emptied. Meals were more entertaining and appetizing when she had someone to talk to. Her adopted father usually left for days on end while her brother, Kay, spend more times in other people's home. In other word, Arturia was mostly alone.

That changed when Naruto arrived, and each days became more interesting.

**XxXxX**

Naruto returned outside to fetch more hot waters from the boiler to fill a wooden tub. Cleaning oneself with fresh and boiled water was considered to be a luxury since the masses simply washed their bodies in the nearby river with Sir Kay and many others taking a leak upstream. He eventually followed suit since no one seemed to complain.

They – the peasants – couldn't complain.

_I swear one day I will build a freaking massive onsen just like the one back home, _Naruto promised. It was just another thing to add on his list of things he wanted to do. As he was draining water from the boiler for Arturia to use, a black-haired girl approached him from behind. He rolled his eyes and uttered lowly, "seriously, why does everyone tried to sneak up on me?"

Holding up his full bucket, he eyed the girl. She had dark brown curly hair to her shoulder with dark round eyes. Her black dress shifted and rippled even though there was no wind passing by. Arching his brows, he asked: "Umm… are you lost?"

"No, I am not," she said while smiling deviously. Her fingers flexed and pointed at him while her eyes tinted purplish. "Take me to Arturia right now."

It sounded like an order so Naruto rolled his eyes. "It's kind of late, and she's taking a bath so come back in the morning, strange girl," he refused flatly and carried the steaming bucket of water back to the house.

Morgana was stunned as blond turned his back to her. She had no clue why her mystic eyes did not work. Enraged that he actually ignored her, magical energy swirled around her right hand. She sent it forward with all the intention of killing him for his insolence.

His honed instinct kicked in as he dropped down to let the destructive beam to sail overhead. He blinked as it crashed and destroyed a large section of the wall. He cocked his head over to behind him and saw the girl outstretching her hand. "What the fuck? Don't go around destroying people's home you idiot!"

"Hmphf… I am Morgana, and I am the ruler of this land. I can destroy anything I see fit," she snorted as glowing magical circles began to materialize all around her. Magical beams came forward from them and rained upon Naruto as he rolled to the side in order to avoid them.

Each of the purple blasts was as powerful as the one slammed into the house, leaving sizable crater behind on the earth to mark their impacts.

"… ? Are you trying to kill me?" Naruto questioned when flipping upright and seeing the destructions around the ground. He then looked at the empty bucket that he still held onto and sighed. He dropped the bucket afterward and drew his sword from its sheath. "Just because you're a cute girl, I'm not going to hold back. Prepare for the ass kicking of your life."

She snorted at him.

About a couple of seconds later, Naruto crashed through the wall and slid across the ground while lightning wrapped around his body. "Ouch… Ouch… is that some sort of invisible shield?"

Pulling himself up, he stared at the girl beyond the opening. "Okay, let me try again."

"What are you made of? How are you still fine after that?" Morgan questioned demandingly as dark menacing lightning wrapped around both of her hands.

"Of course I'm fine, I'm made up of one hundred percent Naruto," Naruto joked as he pointed his sword at his opponent. "This is a dire situation, right?"

That answer and subsequent question brought even more confusion for her face, but she noticed his steel sword glowed bluish. It was like enhancement magecraft, imbuing weapons with magical powers to strengthen and granted them abilities, but she felt no prana being channeled. "What… is that? It is a form of magic?"

"Nope, it's called Rasen…ken, the spiraling blade," Naruto answered proudly. He closed the distance between in an instant as he thrust his sword forward. The edged end pierced through something invisible in the air. Spiraling energy from the blade erupted outward, shredding the punctured hole while forming cracks along the dome.

She was shocked when her protective shield shattered into pieces right before her eyes. Taking no pause, he charged forward, and on defensive reflex, she blasted lighting at him with both hands. The elemental slammed against his sword as he used to block it while holding his ground.

After several seconds, Naruto realized the technique wasn't going to stop any time soon. He pushed the blade ahead of him and took a step forward… then another step after that. He continued closing the distance, but as he got closer to the powerful magus, the lightning became more potent.

"Stop, no… get away, get away," Morgana ordered hastily. Her fear and dread intensified with each step he took. As he got close enough, he swung his sword across her neck, forcing her to evade and breaking her technique. She about to restart the attack with another element, but a very fast sword thrust aimed at her neck.

Both of them froze up.

"Eh? What the…?" Naruto questioned, bring his weapon to his eyes. The sword was missing the blade part, leaving only the handle. The steel it once had had practically shattered into shards, littering the ground.

Using the given chance from his shock, Morgana slammed her palms into his guts and blasted him away with pure prana. The magical energy pierced right through his body, forming a spiraling vortex of wind from his back.

Crashing further back, Naruto gasped and coughed out blood as the foreign energy were rampaging inside his body and further damaging his pathways. A large magical circle formed before him and glowed ominously red. A torrent of flames erupted forward in the form of a titanic dragon as Naruto formed a hand seal in order to evade. Before he could, a shadow casted over him and a vertical slash she did sliced the dragon in half.

"Arturia," Naruto mumbled and panted. "I could have won, but my sword broke."

"Yes, I saw," Arturia said as she gripped her sword tightly. "Naruto, even if the magic you used is not the same as the one we have, these type of weapons will not able the stress." The edge of her steel glowed golden. "You must take care of how much energy you channel so it doesn't break. A person who loses his weapon in a duel loses the battle."

Feeling her magic flowing through her body and enhancing it, she surged forward and passed Morgana with her blade pointed forward. The magus collapsed to the ground, holding her shoulder in pain as blood sprayed outward.

"She… cut through my magic?"

Arturia pointed her weapon at the defeated magus while standing tall. "I do not know who you are, but if you ever harm my Knight again, I will personally strike you down. Leave this instant."

Fear filled her being as she stared up at her older sister. Those clear eyes staring down at her were strong and unwavering, befitting the name of their father. Morgana felt so powerless in front of a true dragon. Without uttering a word, magical circle glowed under her. It then vanished, taking Morgana with it.

"Do you need a hand?" Arturia asked as Naruto stared up at her.

He brushed his golden hair back shyly. "Umm… no, I can move on my own, but…"

"But…?"

"Well, can you put some cloth on? It's kind of cold out here, and I don't want you to get sick," Naruto requested, trying his best to not stare at the wondrous view.

Arturia looked down at her nakedness with a small frown. She was bathing when a magical blast crashed through the wall, spraying debris around the room, gaining her attention. Second later, Naruto was sent through and landed nearby, but even so, she did not want to interfere with the fight. She hastily stepped in to prevent him from getting seriously injured, but she only took her sword with her then.

"I will put some on right now," Arturia assured and walked passed him with little consciousness of her own body as he arched a brow. She didn't see anything wrong with being naked in front of others as there was very little modesty in the village, but she couldn't help forming a smile upon her face.

Arturia stopped before the destroyed wall. Without looking back at him, she asked: "Can you prepare another?"

He didn't reply immediately as he was staring at her long golden hair, which reached all the way down to her perfect shaped behind. For a second, he thought about slapping it, but that would earn him a fist in the face.

"Umm… yeah I guess," Naruto said finally and went to pick up the wooden bucket nearby. "I need one too, but there might not be any water left. It's too late to collect more water by the river… and I broke my sword too. The old man is going to be pissed when he gets back…"

"We could… " Arturia muttered lowly, but Naruto had already left to go to the boiler while mumbling to himself.

* * *

**Author Notes:**

Base stats of Servants are Mach 15 speed burst with several times more for reaction speed. Like Mach 45 or something, so I'm going with that. It's already debated on other forums that Servant could move that fast from the feats they do. Arturia is about that level since she could fight and overpower Berserker (Lancelot) in her flesh and blood body, and the real Servant (the one from the thrones of heroes) are far more powerful than the one that summoned by the Holy Grail. Besides, this isn't our recorded history. It's Nasuverse so expect mythical creatures such as Hydra, Kraken, Cerberus, Phoenix etc…

As much as I like Arturia and Naruto as a pairing, the heroine of the story is not her even if the first few arcs dedicated to them. The heroine is not born yet. You should already know who it is as her story is far more tragic.


	5. Road to Knighthood (4)

**Sword of Destiny** (NarutoxFateStayNight)

**Disclaimer: **This story is fiction. All the characters, names and places belong to their respective owners.

I was going to work on OSC, but this one had good amount of feedbacks last chapter. Keep them coming and we can finish this story in the next month.

* * *

**=[Road to Knighthood]=  
4**

Sir Ector had returned to the village when the night breeze was crispy with frosts; hours before the sun began its daily ascension from the horizon. Standing firmly in his small and cozy home, he could not help but chuckled amusingly at the two blonds leaning against each other to the side of a destroyed wall. The older blond was already snoozing away, deep inside his dream world as usual, while the younger acknowledged him respectfully like a good daughter.

"Father. Welcome home," she greeted. She then tried to shift her shoulder to move away the sleeping blond in order to assist her adopted father with whatever he needed.

"Stay. There's no need, and it looks like you two have a better night than me," Ector claimed before examining in detail the massive hole nearby. In certain places along the fractured edges, the stones were melted like it was bombarded with dragon's fire. Evidently, the destruction was the work of a magus, and a powerful one that. Hearing Merlin's reminding voice in his mind, he knew who it was immediately. "It seems that Morgana had passed through here recently."

"Yes," Arturia responded calmly. "She attacked without provocation and we retaliated."

"I suppose she was defeated then," Ector said with a small smirk. "You did not kill her did you?"

"She was allowed to leave on her own volition," Arturia answered. Curiosity peaked when she thought about how her father knew the black-haired girl name when he wasn't here in person. "May I ask who she was?"

"You may," Ector said with a nod as he placed his sheathed sword on top of the wooden table.

"Morgana is your younger half-sister from the loin of your father, Uther. She was born to a Fay of the lake almost a year after the passing of your mother," Ector divulged. There was no need to hide such thing from Arturia. Cracking his shoulder to relieve any accumulated stress, he eyed the blond-haired girl. "Now, putting Naruto aside since he sleeps anywhere he pleases, why are you here and following his example?"

The new information about having a younger sister did not change her expression whatsoever. The question followed did, however. She pursed her lips lightly while looking at Naruto by her side. "He wanted to sit here while waiting for you so I decided to join him for a conversation. I didn't realize we had fallen asleep, and I've only woken up a few minutes ago."

"Is that so? I am terribly sorry for disturbing you two then," Ector joked as he seated on a wooden chair by the end of the table. He let out a chuckle and did a small headshake when he saw the satisfied sleeping face of the blond when leaning against his daughter's shoulder for support.

"Tell me what you two have been doing in my absent," he requested.

Arturia complied with the request and relayed what had happened several hours ago.

"Definitely more interesting," Ector admitted. He spent the whole night, sitting around a small campfire with a sleeping cloaked and hooded pseudo youngster called Merlin. Eventually, he had enough and left since Morgana obviously did not show up.

"As the day of prophecy draws closer, I have to ask of you, my daughter," Ector continued, looking at the dimming light of a candle by his side some time later. The tapping of his fingers, one by one, on the hard wood could be heard in the eerie silence. "Do you wish to be Artoria Pendragon?"

Hearing her true name, Arturia took in a deep breath and said with certainty. "Yes, I do. However, I am also is Arturia, your daughter. That will never change."

"I know," Ector said with an accepted nod. His tone then became distance. "The Knights and Lords will gather on that day from far and wide. A King will be selected among them through a great trial. If it is your destiny to rule, then you must be there on that day. My son and your eldest brother, Sir Kay, will be there to compete. You shall go with him as his squire, and if destiny chooses you then I will not stand in your way."

Letting out a long weary sigh, his dark colored eyes softened greatly. "Arturia, a King must shoulder the burden of his people. A good King can lead a country to prosperity. To this day, I have not seen a good King. Your father, Uther Pendragon, had made too much mistakes in his life to be considered as a good King, but he was a King nonetheless."

"Do not worry, father. I will not repeat the same mistake," Arturia promised as her eyes showed no doubts. Her conviction remained unwavering as it was her birthright. "A King must kill everyone to save everyone."

"A King that can kill anyone to save his Kingdom," Ector paraphrased when he heard the oddly familiar statement. He still had no response to it at his old age, so his mind recalled the event that led to his retirement. Uther, his late King, had said the same thing in their adventurous and chivalrous youths.

Sadly, the King he admired betrayed that very conviction when he killed thousands of innocence while destroying a neighboring peaceful and prosperous region under control of a Duke. All that bloodshed was for a woman that he wasn't allowed to have.

Ector let out a troubled sigh as the plaguing memories of countless bloodstains faces of men and women on pikes staring accusingly at him. They were all silently demanding why he did not break his oath and stop his King from falling any further into the dark abyss of madness. He'd never told Arturia that her heralded father had raped another man's wife once the bloody battle concluded, conceiving her on that very day.

In truth, Uther loved Igraine dearly when he first saw her in one of the banquets. The King, with everything at his whim, could not sleep or eat while knowing she was with another man. In the end, Uther only gained her body since her heart was already dead. Making her Queen did not undo the crime he'd committed in his lust, and taking Igraine with him spelt the eventual destruction of his Kingdom.

"Your father had once said something similar, but he broke it over a single person. That very act became his downfall," Ector pointed out. "Do not say something that you cannot uphold. Do not swear an oath that you cannot keep."

"I am not my father even if his blood flowed within me. I do not want and will not follow the same path as him. If I do, I will always be within his shadow," Arturia said while Naruto groaned in his sleep. He was getting bold as he tried to hug her. She slapped his hand away.

"So you believed you will surpass him?" Ector asked while raising a brow at Naruto suspiciously.

"I will surpass him," Arturia claimed as she slapped away another attempt to hug her. She would have allowed him to do so if he wasn't half faking it. After the third failed attempt, she snapped him out of his façade by giving him a black eye.

"Huh…? Oh, hey, old man, you're back," Naruto greeted hazily as Arturia got up and headed back to her own room. "Why can't I open my right eye?"

"That eye will be fine in a few hours or so," Ector said with a muffled laugh. "Now, Naruto, I hope you have a good sleep because it will change. For the next few days, you will be helping out the farmer by harvesting the crops as well as clearing and tiling the soils."

"Eh…? Why?"

Ector pointed at the sword without the blade by the blond's side. "You broke your sword, and you need it to continue training."

"Oh yeah," Naruto mumbled guilty while pondering why the old man wasn't more upset. Fine steel was expensive as he had learnt on the first few days. Most people had iron weapons and tools, instead. "Then I'm going to get as much sleep as I can."

Ector chuckled as the blond went back to snoozing immediately.

When the ray of a new day began descended upon the world, the farmers were already on the field, working diligently for several hours before Naruto showed up half asleep. He was then scolded and forced to do manual labor while a new steel sword was being forged by the village's blacksmith. The weapon was completed before the day was over, but Naruto didn't receive it until a week later.

Sparks flew forth as two fine steels clashed as their owners danced around each other. Naruto jumped backward to avoid her thrust. As soon as he landed on the ground, she was in his face again, forcing him to defend himself. She continued to press her attacks, refusing him any breathing space.

Naruto tried to go on the offensive so that she would back away, but her swordsmanship was greater than him as she parried and maneuvered around his techniques while using his own greater strength against him and forcing him back on the defense.

He was pushed back again while defending himself weakly. "Wait, stop… can we have a break? I need to pee, I'm serious!"

Not listening to his request, Arturia continued her relentless assault. Eventually, she had to dash after him. When he decided to flee across the wheat field toward town like a frightened child, she sighed and stopped giving chase. She sheathed her sword and returned back to their training ground.

Naruto backtracked to the field from the middle of the village when he realized she was no longer chasing him. "Sorry. I got carried away, but can we take a break for a while? I'm feeling a really tired lately. I've only three or four hours of sleep each day and have to farm before the sun even up."

"That was all for training," Arturia answered, "and you will get used to it."

"I am already used to it," Naruto snorted. He was a war veteran. He could go on days on end without sleep while fighting at top shape, but something was happening with his body. He was feeling weaker and more exhausted each passing day. Falling flatting on his back against the summer grass, he groaned in annoyance. "I can't seem to channel my energy properly in these past few days, and I don't know why."

"… Are you sure you can't?" Arturia questioned as he nodded repeatedly. "I thought you were not being seriously since I'm not as strong as you physically."

"Eh? Ohhhhh, wow… I get it," Naruto muttered as his mind clicked. "I was also wondering why you were so aggressive lately. You thought I was going easy on you because you're a girl, didn't you?"

Arturia simply stared down at him.

"Hah! Nope, that's not the reason. I just can't muster my strength fully and keep my speed up," Naruto admitted while tapping his chest and coughing. "Maybe I'm just too exhausted from working on the field all day?"

"I don't think that is the case," Arturia said thoughtfully. She had seen him running miles around the village without breaking a sweat so a little farming wouldn't hurt him. She also noticed he was gasping of air in very short breath. "Naruto, please take off your shirt."

"Hah? What was that?"

"Can you please take off your shirt so I can check something," Arturia clarified.

"Oh," Naruto pulled himself up in an upright position. He was about to take off his shirt before arching his brow. "If you're stripping me for fun, I will return the favor in kind."

Arturia kept a stoic face on when she asked: "Do you mean you want to see my chest again?"

"Er… what? No, I didn't mean it like… that…" Naruto mumbled, looking away from her shyly. He then snapped back at her, blinking. "Wait! Did you just tease me?"

"Did I?" Arturia questioned blankly as Naruto narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. She stared back at him before giggling, showing her feminine side. It only lasted a couple of second, but it was enough to stun him.

She was always serious so this was something new.

"Wow… you should laugh and smile more often instead of being all serious," Naruto suggested while pulling up his shirt and revealing his bare chest.

"I will try your suggestion," Arturia said as she leaned down at him. She took a brief moment to examine his well-defined and muscular physique. He was definitely different than when she first saw him. She was surprised to realize that he'd grown taller and leaner. Most of his fats were burnt off when he had to work taxingly every waking moment, from farming and scouting to hunting and training.

"Umm… I don't mind you caressing me, but what are you doing exactly?"

Arturia consciously jerked her fingers away in surprise. "I was checking something," she lied as she looked at her hand. She gave a light headshake when she closed it into a tight fist. Returning her gaze back to him, she moved closer to his chest as he unconsciously moved back.

"I don't know what you're doing exactly, but this is getting a little awkward, Arturia," Naruto advised when his back was flatly back on ground. She was literally on top of him while looking intently across his nakedness.

"What are you two doing?" Ector asked when he crouched next to them. "One of the stationed guards has informed me that Naruto was running around in the village with an unsheathed sword. You might stab someone doing that so I came to check if that was true, but this is not what I was expecting."

"Ah… it's not what you think, old man!" Naruto defended, pushing Arturia to the side.

"I am sure you do not know what I am thinking," Ector said calmly and then faced Arturia. "What did you see?"

"It's hard to tell, but he's being poisoned slowly," Arturia said with a frown.

"What!?" Naruto called out and pulled himself up right. "No wonder I'm so tired lately! Which bastard poisoned me?"

"No one actually did if that I've feared is true," Ector said as his body glowed with magical aura. "Lay back down and stay still so I can check."

Naruto complied as a cold hand pressed on his chest. Not more than a minute later, the hand was removed and its owner frowned deeply.

"Did Morgana touch you during the battle?"

"… I think so… oh yeah, she blasted me back with this strange energy," Naruto said.

Arturia confirmed as she'd saw it for herself.

"I see. It looks like Morgana had left you with something, Naruto," Ector hinted. "I've explained to you about Prana and Magecraft when you asked about it several weeks ago. As I learnt more about your Chakra and Jutsu, I feel that they are similar to magic. You manipulate Chakra to produce elements while magus manipulates Prana. Even similar in some ways, they are not the same."

He then formed a frown. "What I could gather so far is that your body has no resistance to prana as it isn't your native energy. When Morgana attacked you, she channeled prana through your body and a lot of it still remains inside you. It is behaving like an infection, interfering with your Chakra and inhibiting your ability."

"So Prana and Chakra can't mix?" Naruto mumbled questioningly. He still couldn't feel the foreign energy within him at all. "How do I get rid of it then?"

"I do not know as I've never encounter such situation before," Ector said, "but if you can somehow sense prana, you can use your own energy to push it all out."

"But if they are different then I can't sense them at all so how do I push them out…?"

"Alright, let think on this. Did you not feel pain when getting hit by magical lightning?"

"Yes, I did," Naruto admitted while unconsciously rubbing his bare chest. It was really painful getting blasted by magic, but since he was constantly in pain due to his damaged pathways, the added amount didn't matter in the end. He simply ignored pain.

"From what I could tell of your training, you learn the fastest through the physical. I could blast you with magical lightning until you can feel prana," Ector suggested.

Naruto reluctantly agreed so for the next few days he was electrocuted.

"It's not working, so can we stop? I don't want to be tortured anymore," Naruto beseeched a week later as sizzling steams rose up from his twitching body and sparking spiky blond hair. Arturia couldn't help by giggling at the sight, but when Ector eyed her, she dropped the expression and forcibly coughed.

"Yes since I'm out of magic for the day," Ector said, stretching his arm. "We will try again tomorrow."

"Hey old man, just tell me how prana works then maybe I can figure out something," Naruto suggested.

"I can't explain in full details because I am unsure of it myself," Ector said, "but I will tell you as much I know. Prana is a term of two substances called Mana and Od. Od exists within everyone at various quantity, but only very few can manipulate it. Od allows a person to do amazing feat such as controlling the elements to enhancing and enchanting materials, including themselves. It sounds a lot like your Chakra doesn't it?"

"Yep, it does," Naruto said, glancing briefly at Arturia. "So what's Mana then?"

"Mana is prana in the air," Ector said. "When magus ran out of Od, they can take in Mana and empowered themselves. Mana is abundant as it is provided by nature. Only very few magus can utilize Mana in its pure state. Large scale spell that can destroy an entire city are all utilization of Mana since a person usually cannot provide that much magical energy by themselves."

"So Mana is nature prana… oh I know," Naruto said as he entered his meditated state. He began to feel the surrounding energy and took them into himself and mixing with his Chakra. Sadly, Chakra and Prana cannot mix, making his problem even worst. He panted heavily afterward.

"That is remarkable," Ector acknowledged when he felt the flow of magical particles. "You somehow took in Mana even though you're not a magus. You continued to amaze me, Naruto."

"Heh, thanks," Naruto mumbled and rubbed the back of his head. "It didn't work, but I can feel the energy around me."

"Yes, that is Mana," Ector said, nodding. "If you can feel it even if a little then you can expel them from your body. There is no hurry so I suggest you rest for now. We will try again the next morning."

Naruto, being Naruto, didn't comply so he practiced the whole night after supper. When morning arrived, Arturia found him leaning back against stacks up logs by a newly cleared field, which was readied to be planted. A few farmers were gapping as the blond had chopped down, uprooted all the trees, and tiled the field.

"Did you not sleep?" Arturia asked when she approached him.

"I am now," Naruto said with his eyes closed. "I already figured out how to fix my problem, but I can't push them all out in one go no matter how hard I tried. Anyway, I'm tired from last night so can I take the day off, Arturia-sensei?"

"That's not possible, Naruto," Arturia said, drawing her sword. "Sometimes you get ambushed when you are at your most vulnerable."

"Why can't you just relax and have fun once in a while?" Naruto called out as he rolled to the side and dodged a sword slash. He then flipped upright and dashed off into the distance.

Arturia blinked once before calling at him: "Are you running away again?"

"Yep, sometimes it's better to just run," Naruto called back. "If a fight doesn't gain me anything then it's better to just avoid it completely. That's my belief as a Knight! Fight only battle that worth fighting!"

That was different from her belief since all battles were worth fighting no matter how small and insignificant they appeared to be. Using her own power, she leaped toward him and closed the distance in one step. "What if you cannot avoid it?"

"Then I will have to fight, but for that to happen, you have to catch me first," Naruto said cheekily as he flipped backward and dashed away at an even greater speed. "Come get me if you can!"

Arturia let out a giggle at his antic while sheathing her sword. "Very well, Naruto," she said and then gave chase across the field as several people watched on.

"This is quite a sight," Ector said approvingly when he saw the two blonds chasing each other on the outskirt of the villages. They were training and having fun at the same time. He then eyed his son, who was paying attention at them as well. "You can join them if you desire so."

"I'm not really interested," Kay said with a shrug. He was about to join the girls down in the field, but he noticed cloud of black smokes rising slowly from beyond the forest.

He snapped toward his father, who was frowning when seeing the same. "Father, isn't that the direction of –

"Yes. They are getting bold lately," Ector agreed before shouting loudly at the nearby guards. "The village over there is being raid. Raise the alert and bring me the fastest horse!"

Arturia stopped when she heard the warning bell. She saw her brother and father raced off with several mounted guards behind them towards the direction of the rising black smoke. Without saying a word, she dashed toward it with as much speed as she could muster.

Naruto was running by her side with a serious expression. He remembered the nauseating smell of burning flesh too well.

* * *

**Author Notes:**

There are some changes, but the story of Uther and Igraine are still somewhat the same. Uther actually raped Igraine, who was the wife of another person. I cannot sugarcoat that since this story has a lot of dark moments. It is war and conquest in the first part after all. The rise of Camelot means there will be quite a bit of oppositions as the surrounding lands are going to be annexed.


	6. Road to Knighthood (5)

**Sword of Destiny** (NarutoxFateStayNight)

**Disclaimer: **This story is fiction. All the characters, names and places belong to their respective owners.

* * *

**=[Road to Knighthood]=  
5**

Men roared furiously as they charged towards him with their sword held high. His arm muscle bulged as he frowned at their amateurish. It was to be expected from those that had no formal training in the way of swordsmanship. A few swings of his fine steel once they were closed enough, the leather armors they had adorned were separated cleanly before the edges soaked in dark shade of red.

Blood sprayed outward from the perfect cut upon flesh as the first few men collapsed onto the ground unmoving. The ones behind were terrified when their comrades fell so easily. He could see the dreadful fear in their eyes and faces, but they still rushed towards him and their death.

It was different from what he had expected of a bunch of cutthroats, rapists and murderers, but he did not hesitate in his resolve. The littered corpses of tortured women and children around the burning village prevent him to grant them any mercy, and they asked for none.

With an extremely precise thrust, his steel cleanly pierced through a raider's throat, severing the upper spine and killing the man instantly. He jerked his arm backward and swung horizontally to behead the man in one clean motion as he was taught to end his opponent swiftly. For each second passed, another head flew along the air.

"There is something really odd about them," Naruto said as he killed the last person from his side. His back was pressed against her as she held a bloodstained sword tightly in her hand. Her side was filled with severed limbs and heads. She tended to cut off their arms from the elbow joint before beheading them.

"Yes, they are," Arturia answered calmly while scanning around the area. "They should have fled by now, but they choose to stay and perish alongside their comrades. Perhaps it was courage that prevented them from leaving a battle they cannot win?"

"Courage...? Hmmm, if they just run off and fight another day, we would not be able to stop all of them with just the two of us," Naruto pointed out with a sigh. Both he and Arturia had made it to the village before Ector, Kay, and the rest as they were moving much faster on foot.

Noticing her heavy breathing, he asked: "How are you feeling?"

"I am fine," Arturia said while measuring the amount of Od was still within her. Magical energy allowed her to accomplish inhuman feats, but she expended much of it chasing him around the farmlands. She scolded herself for being childish while absorbing whatever amount of Mana in the air to supplement her own reserve. "We should wait until father and Kay catches up with us."

"… But what if there are some survivors in there?" Naruto asked before coughing lowly. There were still some prana roaming inside his chakra pathways as he hadn't expelled them completely yet. The magical energy, thanked to Morgana, was interfering with the flow of his own chakra, making many of his new sword techniques unstable and highly dangerous.

He let out a heavy sigh, expelling some more prana from his lips.

"You need rest, Naruto," Arturia advised, feeling guilty for not noticing his internal injury sooner. "You are still wounded, and you have been constantly empowering and enhancing your sword in order to cut through their armors. All the effort must have taken a toll on your body by now."

"No, I'm still fine. It's not that serious," Naruto said, "and we didn't run as fast as we could here to wait for the old man."

"Know your limit," Arturia responded, "but I understand. Just do not run off on your own."

"Yes, sensei. I will stay by your side, now and always," Naruto assured with a smirk. From the corner of his blue eyes, he saw her shaking her head lightly. "Sorry, now is not the right time for jokes."

Entering the sacked village carefully together, they both saw the horrible sights that were scattered around the reddish earthen and cobblestone streets. She knew that they were too late the moment she saw the black smokes as the raiders always torched the properties after they had their fun with the owners.

"Damn it," Naruto called out angrily, alerting some of the raiders nearby to the position. "We're too late."

"Naruto," Arturia warned. "Please stay calm. This isn't the first time you have seen such a display, and it won't be the last."

"I know, I know. But this senseless killing pisses me off. We've traded with these people on several occasions, and I knew some of them too," he responded. He had seen much bloodshed in his life, but the surrounding awful sights still affected him greatly.

The hidden villages of the Elemental Nations might wage wars upon each other for their own beneficial gain, but they never noted to rape and torture civilians of another village. At least, they wouldn't do it in the open. There was some sort of unspoken rules about committing such atrocities. The world he fell into was different. There were no rules, and everyone was for themselves. If Ector, the wise and kind old man, hadn't found him when crashed landed, he might have become someone he detested.

"There they are! Capture the girl and kill the boy!" One of the leading raiders roared before he gurgled in his own blood. A blade was stabbed into his mouth and tongue right through to the other side. He tried to swallow his own blood, but a blast of wind rolled across the sharp steel. It swirled in a random motion as it entered his mouth. The blade retreated afterward, allowing him to speak. "W-what was –

His sentence was unfinished when his head exploded. Flesh and bones were shredded into mush by the sphere of raging winds. Many of his comrades joined him in the few second passed as his killer moved along them.

The blond-haired girl was more elegant in her swordplay, beheading them swiftly and efficiently.

"These two are monsters!" One of raiders called out in shock as the couple went through them if they were newborn. The men with the same foul odors joined him in fright as they all unconsciously started stepping backwards. He couldn't move any further as the person behind him stopped abruptly. Before he could see why everyone had stopped moving, his body diced with reddish lines.

Widening her eyes, Arturia leaped and dashed backward as fast as she could when the tornado of blood slashed through the buildings and men. "Naruto! Watch out! Do not let it touch you!"

Heeding her warning, Naruto evaded as the waves of blood as it passed by while it turned the men he killed into a gruesome mess on the ground.

The wave of blood retreated and swirled around a black and reddish sword held by a giant of a man, who barely wore anything above his waist.

Naruto steadied his sword and eyed the new opponent. The man was different than the raiders he had fought and killed. "What was that?"

"I don't know, but be vigilant," Arturia advised while gripping her sword tightly. Her eyes never left the ominous sword with streams of blood hovering and wrapping around it. It was a demonic blade, she'd surmised.

"Oh, you two are fast enough to avoid that," the man said with a wide smile, showing his perfectly aligned teeth. "Ahahaha, I am impressed, very impressed. Here I thought this was just some boring village? I'm sure you two weren't here before so where did you two come from? Is there another village nearby that you can show me to?"

"Boss, those two killed all our men on the outskirt of the village," one of the surviving raiders said shakily. He was terrified along with the rest of the nearby men.

He looked at his men with an approving expression. "Oh? They did? That's great."

Something stirred in Arturia as she strengthened her grip on her weapon's handle. To her side, Naruto growled angrily and pointed his sword forward.

"So you're the one behind all of this!?"

"No, no," the man claimed, waving his free hand whimsically. "I am not a bad guy here. I only wanted to release them from their pain just like you two have to my men. We are alike, you and I, freeing people from their suffering whenever we can. Don't deny it. I can feel it in you. You two have killed countless of others, thus free them from their pain and anguish. But sadly, there just so many left."

"What anguish? What suffering? You're the one who caused all of this, you huge bastard!"

"Now, now, no need to call names. I suppose you don't know? That's okay. I will tell you so you will learn something. People are in suffering the moment they are born. They are being punished just being alive, living each day suffocating in anguish and pain, moving ever closer to death's door. It is an inevitable end, and I merely help them reach their final destination quicker, cutting out the unnecessary part," he replied dryly.

"This guy," Naruto mumbled lowly. There were some incredibly twisted logics in the statement. "So why don't you just kill yourself then if you think living is some sort of punishment?"

"Oh, I will one day," he said with a smile, "but for now, I have much to do. There so many people need to be free. If you two are not busy, you should join me in the endeavors. You will learn to like it."

"What…? No! How about go fuck yourself and die, you bastard!" Naruto snapped when he understood what the man was implying.

"Naruto, do not let him string you along like that. He is our enemy right now so there no reason to get emotional," Arturia said and leered at the man. "You relished in the turmoil of bloodshed and wished to kill all those before you. You are only contributing to the turmoil, and that is despicable. We are nothing like you. Before we continue this battle, I asked for your name so that I can carve it into your grave for everyone to see what kind of person you are."

"Oh? Is that so, little girl? I thank you in advance," he said with a raised brow. He tightened his grip on his ominous sword. "You have impressed me with your skills so you may know my name, but those that hear it must die. I am called Clarence, the Kinslayer."

Arturia widened her eyes and lurched at Naruto to push him into the ground before a circular wave of blood passed overhead from a full swing. The technique slashed through the building, bisecting them along with all the raiders nearby.

"Good instinct, little girl," Clarence said nonchalantly even though he had just killed all his men with a single slash. Holding the sword in both of his hand, the blood erupted from all the carcasses and swirled menacingly around its tips. "Let me tell you. This sword has soaked in the blood of thousands; women and men alike. You two will be no different."

The demonic sword spun in his hand as thrust it forward. A tornado of of blood surged forward, ripping apart the ground and burning buildings as the two blond evaded to a still erected building on the side and out of view. Tendrils of blood erupted and slashed through the earth and walls with ease while the man laughed maniacally.

"Naruto. In normal circumstances I would suggest one of us fight him in a fair dual, but I don't think either of us is his opponent," Arturia pointed out as she leered at the levitating streams of blood in the sky. They were tearing through flames and buildings without slowing down. "One of us should distract him while the other moves in for the kill."

"I don't mind doing it your way, but are you sure we cannot take him on directly? He doesn't look that strong even with that magical sword of his."

Arturia stared at Naruto briefly.

"I am not certain how powerful he is, but father had mentioned him when he returned in one of his previous scouting," Arturia said frowningly. "Several years ago in a booming town near the border, a small noble family lived. They were a normal family like… ours."

She tried to gauge his reaction, but his expression did not change so she continued. "But one day, the younger son went insane and killed his entire family. The whole town was then put to the torch. Only a handful of people survived the slaughter by pretending to be dead in the inferno. They'd told others who would pity them that Clarence, the Kinslayer, was the one who did it. He had murdered tens of thousands of people in single night."

"Tens of thousands," Naruto mumbled slowly, knowing that the majority of those tens of thousands were unarmed civilians; children as well. "We have to stop him. He wanted to kill everyone."

"Yes," Arturia said, "but if our swords were to clash with his, ours will likely be destroy."

"Huh? Destroy? What do you mean?"

"That magical sword, as you put it, is a phantasm," Arturia answered. "Phantasms are weapons forged by the Gods ages passed. Each is imbued with mysterious and immersed power, and only grew stronger with more deeds. Man forged weapons like our swords are no match against them."

"Really? I want one right now," Naruto said almost immediately. "I mean, cool, where can I get one after this is over? Steel sword is great and all that, but I want to control blood like that one."

Arturia let out a chuckle on reflex. "Phantasms are scattered all over the world, and they are said to choose their master based on characteristics and personalities. Unless you're like him, you won't able to wield it effectively. Maybe we will find one that suitable for you."

"Oh… maybe the next one then," Naruto said before rolling to the side with Arturia. The building that was hiding them was turned into rubble under the waterfall of blood. "Okay, I will distract him."

Arturia nodded as she dashed down the alley while Naruto channeled more of his energy through the steel sword. He tried to regulate the flow as best as he could. He didn't want his weapon to break apart like when he fought against Morgana.

The tendril blood lurched at him before it exploded into a shower with a sword thrust. Blood sprayed outward as he made other tendrils into the same, all while moving closer to smiling Clarence. He was soaked in the stuff once the tendrils stopped assaulting.

"You are strong, very strong," Clarence admitted. His eyes sharpened as he lurched forwards.

Naruto blocked the incoming sword slash on reflex, but the demonic sword went through his own one as if it was made of very soft wood. He would have been cut as well if he didn't jump backward in haste.

"… Fuck!" Naruto growled while looking at his destroyed weapon. He didn't have time to utter anything further as he was forced to evade another slash. Unfortunately, the tip of the incoming blade connected as his legs were held in place by the blood he was standing on. Naruto tried to get away afterward, but his entire body froze up. It was as if all the blood in his body had solidified.

Clarence about to follow up to kill the paralyzed blond, but a sword erupted from his chest. His heart was pierced from behind by Arturia. "… You sneak up on me? That is despicable, little girl."

Before Arturia could response, she was elbowed several meters away. Her sword was pulled straight out in the process.

Clarence arched forward in pain, coughing out blood while holding his chest. Golden glow erupted in the palm of his hand before he stood up straight again, looking perfectly fine.

"Too bad, I cannot be killed by something like that, little girl," the seasoned magus Knight said as he turned around with a smile. He began his approach while Arturia pulled herself up from the ground.

Naruto tried to break out of whatever restrain he was in. He could barely move his fingers as his body refused all his commands. _What the hell… move damn it! _

Seeing how the deranged man was paying attention to Arturia, Naruto called out: "Hey! Where are you going? Our battle isn't finish yet! Come back here, damn it!"

"Oh, but it already has… Naruto, was it? " Clarence claimed, placing the blade of his sword onto his shoulder. "My weapon is afflicted with a terribly curse. It has killed so many people to the point that it has become very good at it. Let me tell you about its super-secret ability. Whoever it drawls blood from, that person will die no matter what. You're already dead. You just don't know it yet."

"W-what? Bullshit! I'm still alive here so get back here!"

"But I don't want to fight a moving corpse," Clarence refused and returned his gaze at the blond-haired girl, who was rubbing her bruised cheek. "I rather fight her instead."

"If Naruto dies," Arturia threatened while tightening the handle of her sword. The edge of the weapon glowed brightly with golden light. "I will kill you a thousand times."

"Oh? But a thousand is too little, so how about a million times?" Clarence suggested. He let out an amusing chuckle while the girl glared deadly at him. "Don't be so serious. I promise I will let him watch while I strip the beautiful flesh off your face piece by piece. How long will you last, I wonder?"

Arturia didn't reply as she thrust her sword forward. Cracks spread over the steel edge before a blinding golden light blasted forward with all her powers. It enveloped her opponent along with the surrounding area in brilliant illumination. Once the golden light died down, she collapsed to her knees with extreme exhaustion. Shards of steel were clattering around her.

Clarence gasped in shock and excruciating pain when blood spurted out the numerous gashes and cuts all across his huge body. He used his sword as a support by embedding it into the ground. "This is… I am very impressed… you are… the first person… to injure me to this extend. Maybe you could…"

He pulled himself up right, lifting his sword upward. He tried to manipulate blood with the sword's ability again, but noticed there was none left in the immediate area. Every single drop of the red liquid had been vaporized in the golden light. "You couldn't have –

Surprise filled his face when everything below his chest was shredded and disintegrated by a swirling sphere of energy. The top half of his body fell to the ground face first as his blood erupted out the wound and soaked the dirt. His demonic sword fell out of his hand as he stared up at the blond-haired boy. "I think I should have killed you... then… well done."

Clarence finally had been defeated as he closed his eyes with a smile.

"How do you know that would work?" Naruto asked and seated next to Arturia on the ground. He was panting heavily since a miniature rasenshuriken had taken a lot out of him with his current internal injury. He'd hoped the man wouldn't able to regenerate his body after something like that, but he wasn't sure. The light gash caused by the demonic sword on his chest also pulsed in pain.

"I noticed that the Phantasm can only control blood of the dead, and you were soaked in it," Arturia said, leaning back against Naruto for support. "I'm out of energy right now, so I will make it up to you for the attacking you earlier."

"That bastard took the brunt of the blast anyway," Naruto said and leaned against her for support as well. He also realized the real ability of the blood manipulating phantasm, but he was in a bind. He could create a shadow clone to save Arturia, but it would not have enough energy to deal sufficient damage to Clarence. "I thought this would be a breeze, but there really are monster like him in the world huh?"

Arturia did not reply as she was asleep. He smiled at her face, leaning backward on the ground gently and slowly closed his eyes as well.

Naruto didn't know how much time had passed, but when he opened his blue eyes fully again, he was standing on a perfectly waxed marble floor some distance from a massive golden gate with extremely complicate patterns carved into each side. There was nothing around him so he took a step towards the only object in sight.

The door creaked open slightly, letting out the blinding white light from the other side through.

_You're already dead. You just don't know it yet._ The words run in his mind.

"So I died?" Naruto questioned with a deep frown. He didn't believe those words a moment ago, but standing here in what he assumed was the gateway to the afterlife was an eye opener. "Is that the pure world over there? Tou-sama? Kaa-sama?"

He rushed toward the gate with hope, but it closed completely when he reached it. "Wait, open up! I want to see my parents!"

"It is not what you think, Naruto Uzumaki," a deep voice spoke up. It came from everywhere around him so he could not pinpoint its location. "Beyond the gate lies the Throne of Heroes. It is a place for those that have achieved great deed in the past, present and future. It is a resting place and an everlasting utopia."

"Throne of Heroes? Utopia? Sounds like the pure world," Naruto questioned, "and who are you?"

"It is something like the pure world," the voice said. "As for me, I am the Guardian of the Thrones. I am the Keeper of Record. I am the Counter Balance. I am the Master of the Fake. I am many other things as well."

"Hmm… okay, that's a lot of title," Naruto mumbled. "Why am I here?"

"You are here because you have earned the right to be here," the voice answered. "The sword that has no name now has one. It is called **_Clarence_**, the sword of parricide. Only those that have stained their hands with blood of their family may wield its might. It is a Noble Phantasm born of hatred and calamity. It has the power to kill anyone it drawls blood from."

"I wasn't going to claim it," Naruto muttered. "So I'm dead? I figured as much, but whatever I guess. It has been fun so can you open the gate now?"

"Do you truly wish to go through? Please take some time to think about it."

Naruto took a few minutes. "Hmm… well, not really, but what other choice do I have?"

"There is always a choice if you looked for it. You could stay here all alone or I can sends you back to her to continue your journey and becomes a legend," it said.

Naruto raised a brow. "You can do that? Send me back! There still a lot of things I wanted to do, and also there's Arturia…"

A pregnant pause permeated the air as if the voice contemplated something. "I guess the past cannot be changed. Good bye, Naruto Uzumaki."

"Huh? What was that?" Naruto questioned, but the surrounding faded away.

The afternoon sunshine passed through the wooden bars of the window and shone upon the bed. He blinked rapidly as the face of a blond-haired girl and teal colored eyes looking over him. "Hey? I have a really weird dream."

"Naruto," she muttered lowly and placed a firm hand onto his chest. Her eyes glittered in the reflected light more than usual. "I am glad you finally awake."

Naruto stared up at her and blinked repeatedly to make sure he wasn't seeing things. _Is that tears? She was crying? No way that's possible. Arturia doesn't cry. Is this another dream? H_e thought questioningly before looking around the room and finally out the window. He realized some time had passed since the wheat he planted just last night as he remembered was already sprouting. "Hey, Arturia… how long was I out?"

**XxXxX**

"I told you that you're already dead," Clarence said as he stood before the golden gate. "So, is this hell? Are you here to take revenge on me? Where is your missy by the way?"

"No, I am not, and this is not hell," answered the blond-haired man with blue eyes as the massive door began to open fully. "Beyond the gate is the Throne of Heroes, where all heroic spirits reside."

Clarence rolled his eyes and brushed his hair. "So I'm a hero? How you figure that?"

"It is simple. You've taken the blame and allowed yourself to be cursed by everyone for something you did not do. The very act qualified you as a heroic spirit," the blond said. "Although you've killed so many people afterwards to keep up the charade and tarnish any reputation you may have, but that does not change the fact that you are a heroic spirit."

Shaking his head, Clarence turned around and away from the gate. "I am no hero, Naruto. All I wanted to do is take all the sins that she'd committed. I will accept any form of punishments as long as she is allowed to be free."

"Like I said, no matter what, a hero is always a hero," Naruto said, turning towards the white light. "Your wife is beyond here because she too is a heroic spirit."

* * *

**Author Notes:**

Just a fact so you don't argue with me. Avalon is a real physical Noble Phantasm in Fate Stay Night as it was excavated in order to summon Saber for the Fourth Holy Grail War. So from that information, the real Noble Phantasm does have immersed powers. They were somewhat forged in the time of the Gods (Gilgamesh's era), and they were mostly owned by him. Noble Phantasm grew more powerful as more legends are associated to them.

**Clarent**, the radiant and brilliant royal sword, is also known as **_Clarence_**, the cursed blade of parricide, in this story as it is important. According to Nasuverse, Mordred stole it from Camelot's armory just before the rebellion, so it was not her sword originally.


	7. Road to Knighthood (6)

**Sword of Destiny** (NarutoxFateStayNight)

**Disclaimer: **This story is fiction. All the characters, names and places belong to their respective owners.

Servants summoned (alive or dead) by Holy Grail are heavily degraded version of the originals. Brief explanation is at the bottom, so let's continue with the story. I want to get through to the second arc, the Kingdom of Heaven! And Modred!

* * *

**=[Road to Knighthood]=  
6**

"Wow, that is a great sight," Naruto agreed fully with himself while watching a uniform line of armored Knights marched on the outskirt of town. Close by his side was Arturia, who was heaving and breathing heavily. Ever since their battle against Clarence, she had been training tiredly each day to the point of exhaustion.

The proud blond-haired girl did not wish to be in such a situation ever again as her adopted father, Sir Ector, had told to her that she could have died. The revelation came before he confiscated the spoil of war, the phantasm blade of parricide. Sadly, Naruto wasn't awake to complain about it.

Accompanying the both of them amidst the scattered townsmen was a petite girl with unruly black hair and wearing a plain brown dress. The shied girl was the last surviving member of the sacked town they'd tried to save. Her name was Guinevere, and he only learnt about it after waking up from his weeks of being comatose.

Naruto never asked who'd feed and bathe him during that time since he didn't want to know. The truth might be more terrifying than the lie, so he hoped with his entire being that it wasn't the old hag of a servant. That would give him nightmares.

After examining the white banner with marking and symbol as it flustered along the wind at the tip of a long silvery lance, the blond-haired girl – who took care of him – remembered where she had seen the coat of arm. "That flag is the banner of Lord Ban, the King of Benoic."

"Lord Bane, the King of Benoic…?" Naruto questioned thoughtfully, trying to ransack his brain for the geography to where the place was. "Wait… isn't it just only one town? And I thought there is no King in Britain. That's the reason for the upcoming event, the Selection of King, isn't it?"

Arturia pursed her lip and stroked the hilt of her sword slowly. "When Uther, the last true King, passed away without a designated heir, those that held powers at the time fought for the throne and a chance to become King. Their discord split the country apart. To this day, everyone with an army can proclaim themselves King. King Ban is just one of many, and it is known that his Knights are very powerful."

"Oh… But if he's already King then then why does he wants to join the Selection of King?"

"I do not know," Arturia admitted. "If I have to guess then I suppose he wants to be legitimized through the Selection of King and possibly unite all of Britain under one banner without bloodshed?"

"Nope, nope, that's incorrect," someone called out from behind the trio. His voice and presence acquired all their attentions.

The person pushed up his helmet visor, showing his grey eyes and locks of purple hair within. "The old geezer doesn't want to attend the selection because of something like that. He does want peace and order like the next man, but he's only heading there because he wants to support the a worthy King, whoever he may be."

While Naruto was giving a detailed examination of the sixteen years old boy in black armor, Guinevere moved out of view and used Arturia as some sort of protection.

"And how would you know something like that?" Arturia asked.

"I will tell you, but can you keep a secret?" The boy whispered. Once he got a confirmation from each blond in the form of a light nod, he continued. "The old geezer is too old to be King any longer. Even if he does somehow sway everyone, he would have to leave everything to me eventually, and I certainly don't want to be King of the whole Britain. You know how difficult it is to manage a single town with all these noble geezers wants to do things their own way? They constantly bickered with each other."

Arturia understood the predicament from her own experience with the town.

Naruto arched a brow. "Then you're his son?"

"Yes, I am," he answered and gave a courteous bow. "The name is Lancelot; heir to Benoic and the champion of the Lake."

_The champion of the Lake? That name sounds kind of stupid, _Naruto thought while checking Lancelot's armor in more details. It was very dark in color with many string-like tendrils with pointy end protruding from the back. _If you're a Knight, then you should be called Knight of the Lake?_

While Naruto was in thought, Lancelot then held up Arturia's hand gently before kissing. "I am at your service, my Lady. If there is anything you need, just ask and I will carry it out to the best of my ability. I swear it upon my honor and life."

She remained expressionless, however.

_How about you go and die right now, you bastard! How dare you do that to Arturia-chan? And right in front of me too!? _Naruto shouted furiously in his mindscape before letting out a small growl. "You!"

"Yes," Lancelot responded.

"I'm Naruto, the greatest Knight ever!" Naruto announced and drew his sword. It was a heavy broad-sword unlike the last two he was given and broke. "Let go of her hand or my sword will go right through your chest!"

"Such vulgar from one who held a blade. You sir, are no Knight," Lancelot quipped and complied as he let her hand go. He then closed his visor before moving back a few steps and drawing the still sheathed sword. The strange black scabbard was tightly locked to the dark sword with reflective onyx chains. "As heir to King Ban, I shall duel you for her hands. Will you accept, Naruto, the 'greatest' Knight?"

"Yes! Bring it on," Naruto roared and entered his stance. He then stared intently at the still sheathed black sword before twitching his eyes. "Are you underestimating me because I don't have any fancy armor like you? Take your sword out and fight me properly!"

"Pardon me, but I do not underestimate any of those I challenged," Lancelot claimed while tightening his grip around the handle, "but unfortunately, I cannot pull **_Arondight_** from its scabbard until I am truly worthy of its name."

"Huh? What…?" Naruto questioned and stared intently at the weapon. He narrowed his blue eyes to focus on it. From his daily meditation to interact with the mana in the air, he could see faintly of magical energy wrapping around the sword. "Wait… that's not a phantasm, is it?"

"Yes, it is one, Naruto," Arturia confirmed with a nod. She then patted the silent Guinevere behind her lightly. It was an unspoken request. The black-haired girl understood immediately and ran towards their home to fetch Ector.

"It is currently sealed for whatever reason," Arturia added.

Lancelot blinked several times in surprise. "You know what a phantasm is, my Lady? Not much people do these days, or so I'm told." He held the sword in both hand before his chest with its tip pointing towards the cloudy sky above. "It was awarded to me by **_Nimue_**, the Lady of the Lake, so that one day I might prove myself worthy enough to wield it against all those that stand against justices and honors."

From the proud declaration and conviction, Arturia gave an approving nod.

In contrast, Naruto was envious since he wanted one after he'd learnt more about them. Phantasms were stated to be unbreakable in any battle as long as their true owner still lived. Their absolute power was directly related to their owner's will. Stronger the will, the more powerful they became. As such, he wanted to claim the sword of Clarence when he was able to move about again, but the old man refused to give him it with an excuse that the sword needed cleansing.

Exhaling deeply, he lowered his steel when his eagerness to fight wavered. "Say, Lancelot… where is this Lady of the Lake you speak of? It sounds like she's giving out free weapon so is there any chance that I can get one too?"

"The Lake only appears to those that in need of it," Lancelot said cryptically. "Are you receding from the duel?"

"Seriously?" Naruto questioned. "Just let me make sure. It is a physical place somewhere, right?"

"Yes, I believed so," Lancelot answered. He then lowered his sword to the side before kneeling at Arturia again. "I have won your hand, my Lady. Is there anything you wanted to ask of me?"

Naruto blinked. "Hey! Wait a second! When did I lose? We didn't even fight, you bastard!"

Ignoring Naruto, Arturia drew her on weapon and moved backward from the chivalrous Knight. "There's one thing I want right now, and that is to clash sword with you, Sir Lancelot."

"Ah, such violence thing does not befitting one such as you," Lancelot refused, causing Arturia to frown.

Naruto rolled his eyes and sheathed his sword. He then gave a sigh. "Are you afraid she will kick your ass silly? I mean defeat you in single combat. If you do, just say so. No one here is going to laugh about it."

"I fear no such thing because such thing will never happen," Lancelot asserted. He stood up straight when the blond snorted loudly. "Words cannot win against actions. As my sword cannot be unsheathed, there is no harm to clash blade against a Lady. You may begin whenever you feel comfortable."

Leaning towards Arturia, Naruto whispered softly into her ears, "about five minutes?"

"I believe one is enough," Arturia said as her sword glowed golden.

Two minutes later, Lancelot snapped open his grey eyes and saw the still cloudy sky above. His back was flatly against the ground and grass. He pulled himself to an upright seated position before rubbing his face and jawline. The pain made him groaned. "Ugh… what just happen?"

Only an old white-haired man, wearing worn out chain mail, stood nearby. "Lancelot was it? One should never underestimate a person based purely on gender. Did no one taught you that great men have been killed by far less than a dagger of a lover. As to why you are on the ground, you were whacked across the head with enough force to knock you back unconscious."

"Someone might have something similar," Lancelot acknowledged, scanning around the vicinity and nearby fields. He noticed the two blonds were sparring against each other with impressive speeds. He could barely make out their swords' thrusts and slashes from his position. "Looks she can handle herself, and such a mistake on my part."

Ector chuckled and nodded. "Yes, she can. It is a good lesson for the future." He then pointed at a couple of men further away. They were quite strong from the magical aura surrounding them. "You should not keep them waiting."

"Yes, I should not, or father will be furious," Lancelot agreed and leaped off the ground. "May I ask who you are?"

"I am just an old man, long past his prime," Ector responded and returned the recently stolen Arondight back to the boy before turning around. He waved his hand as he walked away from the spot.

**XxXxX**

"Wow, this is a great sight," Naruto called out excitedly. He was standing outside his shared tent with two others while looking around for all the things he had never seen before. There were hundreds of banners of all manners gliding and flustering in the breeze. They were accompanied by the rapid and playful clanging of sounds of steels clashing against each other. "I didn't know there were this many Knights attending this festival. Oh, which village is that guy with huge mace come from? He got a cool looking armor too. Oh! That guy has a funny coat of arm! It's a cow! Hey, is that a phantasm? It's glowing! Hey! Hey! Let me see!"

"Naruto, can you pipe down and get back in here?" Kay ordered from inside the tent. He standing straight up with his hands spread out so Arturia, who dressed like a boy since she could move around the camp easier, could tighten the leather strappings around his side. "I know why Arturia is here even though I was against bringing her along, but father's order must be obeyed no matter what. I'm drifting off again… why are you here?"

"Huh? What do you mean? I want to cheer for you, _brother_ Kay," Naruto joked when he returned back inside the tent. "This is the Selection of King, and if you become King, we will be brother and sister of the King. That would be really great."

Kay only let out a sigh as he tapped his armor to make sure it was secured. "King doesn't get to live very long," he mumbled lowly. "I rather live to ripe old age than being assassinated every single day."

He dropped the frown. "No matter. There are many great men here, and it's not like I will able to defeat them without any form of magic," he continued in his normal tone. "Arturia. Let's go. You… stay here and guard the tent. If any stuff missing while we are gone, I will personally hold you responsible."

Once Kay and his squire, Arturia, left the tent to group up with the other candidates, Naruto started checking the room to kill some times. It only took a few minutes for him to be bored, so he dropped backward on the carpeted floor and started snoozing. An hour went by before he was awoken by the noise and commotion.

He stepped outside the tent yawningly and looked around to see people running toward a mass of people in the distant. A squire ran passed him before he grabbed the boy. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Did you not hear? A magical sword in stone appeared out of nowhere," the young squire said. "Who is able to pull the sword out is the rightful King of Britain, so everyone running there to try their luck. Can you let me go?"

"Right," Naruto let the squire go as he looked inside the tent. Entering it and making sure no one was peaking, he formed several hand seals and channeled his power through it. A cloud of smoke appeared to his side. "You, stay here and watch stuff."

"Sure thing boss, but wouldn't Kay notice you left the tent?"

"So I should do a disguise then?" Naruto asked as Naruto – the clone – agreed. The real one thought long and hard who he should disguise as. The multitude of armors he saw recently flashed through his mind. "I should disguise as a Knight then."

Using transformation technique, he transformed his appearance into that of a heavily armored Knight with completely enclosed helmet. He clenched his white gauntleted fist and looked directly at the mirror to see the spiral pattern on his helmet. "Not quite right," he murmured and redid the transformation several more times. After several more modification, he nodded with approval with his coat of arm. "So what do you think?"

The clone was already snoozing.

Rolling his blue eyes, he left the tent and headed toward the commotion. As the squire had stated, there were a multitude of people standing around the embedded sword with one trying to pull it out. To the side of the stone was a seated young person in cloak and hood along with staff in hand.

Naruto looked around at everyone, searching for a couple of people he knew, but Arturia and Kay were not found. He leaned towards one the Knights nearby. "So how many have tried so far?"

The knight took a few minutes to check Naruto out. "Several dozens, but the sword wouldn't budge no matter what they do. They all left and returned to competing by jousting, instead."

_Does that mean both Kay and Arturia couldn't pull it out? _Naruto thought and waited for his turn.

There were still hundreds of people before him, and the whole process would likely take days to go through such huge numbers. He also noticed only Knights were trying to pull it out even there were many squires and pages standing around. They probably weren't allowed to try until all the Knights had their turn. With each failure, some of squires and pages became dishearten and left the area.

After several dozens more people, taking ten to fifteen minutes each, Naruto grew tired, bored and stiffed. His muscle ached and groaned, demanding he do something. He had never stood idle for so long as he was always busy with various tasks around the village whenever he wasn't training or sparring. His well-developed muscles and height were a testament to his hard work.

"Ah fuck this! Let me try already so I can leave and check out the tourney!"

He was able to push people in front out the way through raw strength fairly easily since most of these so called Knights around him weren't well-trained at all. They must have gained their title through their father. Those that were of any interesting didn't bother to stand in line at all. They were simply seated and watched the commotion by the sideline with expressed amusement.

Naruto also saw Lancelot standing by a seated older man.

Both strong hands of the old man were rested on a hilt of his phantasm sword, **_Coreiseuse_**, the wrathful blade. It simply radiated powers basking in his aura. A row of disciplined Knights standing patiently behind him only made his aura even more powerful.

"We did come all the way here, so why do you not try, father?" Lancelot asked while eyeing the armored Knight in white pushing everyone out the way comically. "Surely, with your ability, you can pull it out."

"You are still young and have much to learn, my son," Ban answered slowly. "I do not try because of the same reason as all those over there did not bother. They already knew the answer without attempting because destiny did not choose them this day. Why waste effort to do something meaningless?"

As Naruto pushed more people out the way, a few bigger ones shouted: "Hey! Who do you think you are?"

"I'm…" Naruto was about to reveal his name, but uttered something else. "I am Maelstrom. I am the greatest Knight that ever lived. Remember it!"

Once Naruto stood before the sword in stone, Merlin stared up at him.

"You are a strange one," Merlin said with a warm smile. "A mortal, yet is not truly mortal; from this world, yet not of this world. Yes, I see it now. I see the path to the future and the price that must be paid to change your destiny, but will you pay it?"

"And you, creepy of the creepiest, who speaks nonsense," Naruto jested and chuckled. "I only wanted to see if I can pull this out. It's a phantasm isn't it? I always wanted one to see what it feels like." Wrapping his hand around the handle, he exerted some strength. "It doesn't look so hard."

Merlin only gave only a nod.

Naruto tried to pull the sword out, but it did not budge no matter what. Flaring his chakra, he tried again, but still it did not move one bit. Roaring loudly as his power spiked to even higher level, the sword budged slightly under his grip. This was because the stone it embedded in was beginning to crack. His chakra was interfering with the divine magic. Soon enough, the sword was ripped out as the stone shattered and crumbled into a heap.

"Hah! I got it out!" He called out and held the blade up high above his head. Golden blinding light shone upon him from above as he widened his eyes fully. An extremely long minute passed by as everyone watched him silently. He lowered **_Caliburn _**as the light faded away.

"Hmmm… what will you do now?" Merlin said softly as his eyes glowed purplish with magical energy.

Naruto blinked slowly under his helmet, feeling he had lived several decades in but a single moment. A couple of tears slid down his cheeks as he looked at the bloodstain sword and hands. It was no longer stained, and he didn't stand on top a mountain of corpses. The vision he saw became hazy like a murky dream.

It was a dream in this cycle.

"Not this time around, Merlin," Naruto said softly stabbed Caliburn deep into the ground. He turned his back to the sword as everyone stared at him. "You can try your luck now."

"A wise choice, but this path is also filled with bloodshed," Merlin said inaudibly, "not as much as the one that could have been, the King of Kings." With a wave of his hand, the ground embedded by the sword was uplifted to form a new slab of stone.

"Why did you put it back, Maelstrom?" Ban asked as the white knight passed him by.

Naruto stopped and eyed the man. He remembered vaguely the father of Lancelot. "That is because I don't want to kill you," he said cryptically.

Silence reigned between the two.

"Ahahahaha!" King Ban laughed loudly. "You are not the same person who stood before the sword. No, you are different… wiser. I see now. Maelstrom is a good name; a fearful name." Lifting his sword off the ground as magical runes glowed across its slick surface. He placed it across his hands, lifting it above his head and kneeling before the white knight. "So be it. My sword and army is yours to command."

Hearing the declaration, hundreds of Knights behind King Ban crossed their cross their dominant arm across their chest and kneeled. "We are yours to command, my liege."

* * *

**Author Note:**

What Naruto saw will be explained in greater detail within Sakura route. For now, just know that if he took up Caliburn, he will become the King of Kings. After all the bloodshed, he eventually wished to return back to the Selection of King to redo things differently. Basically, that story happened before this one, so he doesn't know what will happen in this cycle. Next chapter will be the end of this first arc.

After that, I will see if I should continue releasing chapters regularly or put it on hiatus. So far, the interest is sufficient.

**Information:**

I just want to put into perspective so you can stop putting down the power of Nasuverse for whatever reason. A servant brought forth by the Holy Grail has about 1,000 unit of prana on average. Saber (FSN) is higher, but not by that much – about 1,300? Now, a heroic spirit in Throne of Heroes is equivalent to Counter Guardians commanded by the world, and each one of them has **_trillions_** unit of prana!

Gilgamesh in Fate/CCC is what the closest thing to when he was alive as it stated he was restored to his "full" power. When everything fails, he throws galax**ies** (or the forces of a three galaxies) at people with Ea. You can see how ridiculous that is, so I'm not giving them their full power. In other word, I'm already nerfing the characters of Nasuverse, and people bitching about I'm overpowering them.

In Fate Stay Night, Dark Sakura has about 1 trillion when she was the freaking embodiment of the Holy Grail, and she still was considered to be a fake by the World. That means the real living Archer (EMIYA) is godlike beyond comprehension. Anyone who has **_true_** magic can solo Naruto-verse very easily. Heck, a human one like Ryougi Shiki has the potential to destroy the universe. She can literally kill a concept and origin like Chakra and Shinobi.

Going up the chain to more absurdity, Arcueid Brunestud can rape almost anyone including Sage of the Six Paths. Seriously? Yes, it has been debated already. Ignoring the fact that she cannot be killed unless you destroy the world (vaporizing it completely), she's a cheat with her Marble Phantasm. That ability makes her automatically stronger than her opponent. In contrast, Zelretch is hilariously overpowered. I'm not going to debate about him, but the running joke is if he cannot do it, then an infinite amount of him can.


	8. Road to Knighthood (7)

**Sword of Destiny** (NarutoxFateStayNight)

**Disclaimer: **This story is fiction. All the characters, names and places belong to their respective owners.

_Italic_ text is flashback, thought, or memory lane.

* * *

**=[Road to Knighthood]=  
7**

_"Do you know what they are calling you?" questioned a blond-haired girl in an elegant blue and white long dress with black crested patterns at the hemline, collars and long sleeves. She was standing closer to the opposite side of the luxurious chamber when he appeared at the entrance, seemingly had been waiting there the moment she'd learnt of his return._

_Following the straight path dictated by deep azure colored carpet beneath his feet, he passed in between the evenly spaced support pillars made of stone and marble as they aligned neatly to both side of the furnished room. _

_It took almost a full minute for him to stand before her, while half a dozen armored and armed men – his own personal Knights – spread out and stood guard silently to the side of the entrance way; three on each side._

_"I don't mind what they're calling me," he asserted. With a long weary sigh due to the long journey prior, his dominant hand fidgeted around his waist to check if whether his trusted weapon, the long blade so dark that many had thought it was shadow given form, was still sheathed in its onyx scabbard. _

_He knew both enemies and allies alike had called him by many derogatory names and titles, but he didn't pay them any mind. "I am tired from the latest campaign, and I want a few minutes of peace and quiet, preferably with my beautiful wife by my side. Can you allow me that, my Queen?"_

_Not a second passed for the said Queen nodded with a genuine smile._

_"If that is your wish, Your Majesty," she complied humbly with a courteous bow. Her flowing and unbraided golden hair rolled around both sides of her shoulders when she did. The incalculable silky and untamed strands of blond spread out and glowed magnificently under the endless shower of rays from beyond the arched windows above. The gold and silver crown – simplistic in design – upon her head did the same when it was bathed in the brilliant. Once she straightened her posture, she gave a light nod over her shoulder to her own entourage._

_The lightly armored knights – the Queen Guards – understood the unvoiced command and immediately vacated the room along with those of the King at the entrance. The heavy doors were closed fully behind them, leaving their monarch alone in the throne chamber._

_He strolled passed her slowly as she turned and accompanied him down the untainted carpet. Their hands firmly wrapped around each other while not a single word was exchanged in between. Words were unneeded. And even when they both stepped onto the elevated ground of the seat of power, they remained completely silent._

_Once he fully seated onto his rightful place, he gazed deeply at the starling teal colored eyes while she lowered and kneeled by his side. Their hands never separated as the silence tranquility permeated the chamber._

_The years had been both harsh and faithful to them, but something had never changed. She remained strong and beautiful person he came to love, and with her by his side and shared in his burden, the hard choices he had to make was worthwhile even through all the necessary bloodshed._

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked flatly with an awkward expression while sitting on the opposite side of the wooden and simple table. Plates of bland tasting food were laid out sparsely in between them all the way to the occupied end of the rectangular table.

"I've missed you, Arturia," Naruto answered softly and sincerely while continuing to etch everything she was into his mind.

The granted visions of the life that should have been became more and more unclear each passing moments. Like a powerless passenger, he could not control what he saw through his eyes. What had been months were compressed into mere seconds. It was like watching a fast forward video. Even so, the visions were still detailed enough for him to compare the person she was and the person she could have been. In them, he admitted she was taller, broader shoulder, and more feminine; no longer carried a sword, but she still could kill a full grown man in a blink of an eye.

"It has only been a few hours," Arturia pointed out.

"Actually years," Naruto corrected. _Four years and seven months alone._

The vivid vision of her untimely death resurfaced in his mind along with the anguish, pain and sorrow he felt in that moment. The plethora of invasive emotions was enough for him to avert his blue eyes. Her passing marked the turning point of the vast spanning empire they'd forged together. _I swear I won't let it happens again._

"I mean it felt like years to me," he corrected.

"Hours feel like years," she mumbled and shook her head lightly. "Did someone hit you over the head?"

"Eh…? Yea, it could be that," Naruto responded. "Well, a bunch of people ambushed me for some stupid reason, but I managed to get away before they could have their way with me." A broad smile plastered on his face. "After running around all day to avoid them, I'm incredibly drained. Plus, my body ache all over… can you give me a full body massage again? I will return the favor like usual."

"Massage…?" She questioned with confusion. "When did I do that? And what do you mean like usual?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, my mind wanders. What I mean to say is do you know how to give one? I can show you how first. It's a really relaxing pleasure after a hard and troublesome day, and you look like you needed one," he offered while subconsciously rubbing the back of neck and upper back, feeling the phantom sensation of her fingers melting away the stiffness.

Arturia took a moment to nod. "I don't, but I would like to know."

"Really!? I mean, cool, first you need to –

Kay knew what a full massage meant so he coughed and slammed his palm on the table, interrupting the couple. "This is not the time for that, Naruto. We are eating, and you are acting weird… well, weirder than normal. That is saying something." He then changed his mind faster than anyone could response. "Actually, that is a great idea. I think it's time you know the pleasure and company of a woman."

"W-what!?" Arturia called out while jerking up from her seat.

"I don't mean you, dear sister, father forbids," Kay clarified with amusement, "but be a good squire and go fetch them will you? Bring a few. I need a lot of attention as I am fairly worn out from today. There should be plenty loitering around here, looking for work and a place to sleep I figure."

Arturia frowned as she eyed the blond across of the table.

"Umm… I'm not interested or enjoyed in such sinful thing," Naruto refused the offer flatly, returning the gaze. He then faced the eldest in the room. "Pop will scold me for doing something like that."

Both Arturia and Kay immediately noticed the change in call name as Naruto had – without fail – called their father, Sir Ector, old man. Pop was something new. Neither of them wanted to corner Naruto for the change, however.

"What father does not know will not hurt him," Kay responded with a smirk. "I won't say, you won't say, so unless dear sister sells us out, it will be our little secret."

Naruto couldn't help but snickered. "Secret cannot be buried for long. Pop will definitely learn of such things one day; likely sooner than later. I don't want to disappoint him in any way. I had done enough of doing that for one life time."

"One life time…?" Kay questioned while arching a brow. "That's an odd way to put it. How hard did you say they hit you in the head?"

"Heh… really, really hard," Naruto asserted while rubbing the top and back of his head and faking his discomfort. "This place is very dangerous with everyone running around with swords. I think I should return back to the village for safety."

Kay chuckled before giving a nod. "I don't know if you're joking or not, but if you say so, I will have to let you go then. With the today coming to an end, I must say that the tourney isn't all that interesting. Most of the challengers should train several decades more before fighting me. Right now, I'm sure even Arturia could best most of them with very little difficulty."

Arturia also found the tourney to be lackluster. "Father will not be pleased if you throw the match on purpose," she warned or more likely, threatened. It was difficult to tell exactly which.

"I know, I know, don't remind me. I will never hear the end of it if I do," Kay said with a sigh. He shook his head in annoyance. "I wish one of them would use their magic to knock me out of the competition already. That way I could have a good excuse, but such way is not the way of the sword."

Naruto smirked at the easy going nature of his surrogate brother. As the fading visions had shown, Kay refused to join up with him initially, citing that it was far too dangerous. Kay wanted live a long and full life while fathering many children instead of dying on a forsaken battlefield as all Knights should. It was only when the passing of Sir Ector that Kay began to do more with his life.

"There's no need to worry. The festival only goes on for a few more days, so just hang in there," Naruto encouraged. "I will find a replacement for you tomorrow before I leave."

"I guess I have to, and what do you mean a replacement?"

"Oh, when I said I was leaving before, I mean me and Arturia, so you would need a new squire," Naruto clarified. He needed her to be by his side when he asked the old man for the important permission. She not being there when he did would not be fair to her. "Is that okay?"

Kay narrowed his eyes. "I don't mind. I am not sure why you need her to accompany you home, but I can manage on my own," he said. He then focused on his younger sister. "You should head back home with him, Arturia. This place isn't really for someone like you."

"I'm sorry. I do not wish to leave yet, brother," Arturia requested sternly. "I apologize if it sounds selfish, but I hope you don't force me."

_No. If anything, the selfish one is me, _Naruto contemplated inwardly. _Even with the second chance, I'm still making the same mistake._ _There's no need to rush things. It's only a few more days._

Watching her uncompromising expression, Kay smiled and nodded. "Naruto, I've really tried, but don't be depressed. I will give you some alone time with my dear sister some other time. When you get back home, please do tell father that I'm doing my best."

"Eh? I wasn't thinking about something like that," Naruto defended sheepishly, leering across the table from the corner of his eyes briefly. "If Arturia is staying then I might as well. Safety in numbers, and it's only a few days, so who knows, maybe something good will come up."

"Oh? Change your mind already? Well that's fine. Now, let's return to the meal," Kay suggested before resuming his meal heartedly. Arturia also resumed her meal while Naruto returned to staring at her, only more intently.

A full minute later, she stopped. "Can you please stop staring like that?"

"I will when I have my fill," Naruto answered with a smile.

**XxXxX**

The second day of the tourney was rather uneventful for Naruto as he was left behind again. He spent the entire day guarding the tent and writing down as many important things while they were still vivid in his mind. The second thing on the list was forging his phantasm, the black blade of eternal shadow. It was still good to have it in his possession since the sword was the only weapon he could use to match against phantasms due to his unique condition.

At the stone where Merlin seated, the number of contestants trying to be King had dropped drastically, and that number would continue to decline in the next couple of days. In contrast, King Ban along with his eldest son, Lancelot, and entourage waited patiently the Knight in pearly white armor since they had lost sight of him yesterday.

Third day was different, however.

"I yield," admitted a Knight in dark red and grey armor. He was panting heavily and raggedly as his face was obscured by his bashed in helmet. His heavy long sword was lying on the ground further away while a circle of cheering spectators surrounded him and his opponent.

They were watching the duel if it could be called that.

"The White Knight remains undefeated," an armored person called out from the side line. Without his helmet on, he was acting like a referee along with a couple of others. "That's 31 in a row. Who amongst us shall take up the challenge?"

There were still plenty of challengers, but they were arguing with each other about whose turn it was.

Naruto scanned the group of men surrounding him under his visor before checking his armored fist. _This is kind of fun. At least until some idiot decided to use magic and dispel my transformation. _

"Who's next? You can use any weapon you wish," Naruto called out with a wide hand gesture.

"This is such a strange duel. Father, may I join?" Lancelot asked as his seated father nodded. With the approval, he stabbed his sheathed sword into the ground before entering the ring. "I wish to challenge you, but you must take off your helmet and show your face when I win."

"Beat me first before making such a demand," Naruto responded. "Where is your weapon?"

"Like you have said, your fists are weapons so I will use the same," Lancelot replied as his body had a magical glow. All his natural ability rose sharply when his aura expanded slightly outward.

Naruto did not hesitate and took the initiative, sending out a fast straight. It was fast enough to create a powerful sonic boom that blasted through the spectators since they stood behind Lancelot.

Lancelot was able to deflect the offending arm slightly to the side with little difficulty.

Oh, that's right._ I forgot how insanely strong he is when he doesn't underestimate his opponent. He taking this really seriously… should I avoid him until he runs out of prana? It shouldn't be more than a few minutes at his current level…_

A flurry of empowered fists, capable of shattering boulders, was sent forwards by the purple-haired teenager as Naruto swayed side to side while moving backward to avoid being hit.

Not allowing the distance between them to grow, Lancelot leaped forwards and reengaged the white knight while the spectators – who was cheering and roaring – moved out the way hastily in order to give them more room. It didn't take long for the both of them to entirely leave the ring of people.

Naruto deflected several fast fist strikes to the side before committing fully to retaliation. He knew he could not continue to block or evade with this kind of opponent, and while on the offense, he easily forced Lancelot back into ring as the circle filled with spectators was formed again.

Lancelot evaded a straight narrowly as the white knight did a full body spin before something very fast came directly up at him from below. He wasn't sure what happened when he was sent arching along the air by a powerful blow to the jaw. It was strong enough to shock his brain even through the protection provided by his enchanted helmet. With a loud thud, he landed flatly on his back against the ground unconscious.

Everyone blinked several times in unison as the white knight lowered his raised leg. They then stared at him in a mixture of awe and accusation.

"What? I didn't say I couldn't use my leg," Naruto defended himself. It was impossible to do a high kick while adoring armor due to the joining and wielding of plates, but his armor wasn't real in a sense.

"Ahahahahahaha," King Ban laughed loudly while clapping his hand. "In my entire life, I have never seen or heard anyone doing something like that, my Lord. You are truly a white knight sent down from the heaven. You see and do things differently." He then did a hand gesture, calling one of the Knights behind him. "Drag my arrogance son out of the way so another duel may continue. I have not had this much entertainment in years."

Naruto sweat dropped when seeing the unconscious Lancelot being dragged from the legs to the side line like a plank of timber. Giving a shrug, he stood at the center of the crowd again. "So who's next?"

Such an event went on for the fourth and fifth day while the number of spectators swelled. Watching how the white knight defeated armed opponent with strange unarmed combat technique was far more thrilling and entertaining than watching the tourney.

Eventually, it caught the attention of a blond-haired cross-dressing girl.

"Do you know who is he?" She asked as she watched the white knight beat down armed Knight one after another from further back. Even if many were defeated, many more stepped up to challenge him without any hesitation. Some even returned for another round as they were getting the hang of the hand to hand fighting technique.

"He is the White Knight of Heaven," the brown-haired peasant responded.

"The White Knight of Heaven," Arturia recited.

"That is his title, given by King Ban," the man explained. "He came out of nowhere while bathing golden light from the sky like an angel of the Lord. I believe he is a savior, coming to help us in this dark time and bring the light back to the land."

Arturia was skeptical. "If he is as you said, then what is the purpose of this?"

"Only the Lord would know," the man answered with a thoughtful expression. "I believe he is checking whether we were worthy to be saved with trials of combat. If I was a born a Knight, I would be in there challenging him."

"A Knight is made, not born," Arturia responded, but the simple farmer did not understand the concept.

"That is the truest thing I have heard around here," agreed a young blond-haired man nearby. His aqua blue eyes displayed filled with everlasting calmness. "I hope one day I too, would be a Knight."

Noticing his coat of arm painted onto the front of his glimmering steel armor, Arturia displayed a small smile.

"And maybe one day I will be called a great white knight like him," he added and looked towards the hill with a single person seating by a sword in stone. "He, who wields the golden sword, is the rightful king, and he, who has the courage to put it back, must be more than a King."

"The sword was pulled out on the first day," Arturia said, looking at the same direction. "Was it the White Knight of Heaven?"

"Yes, and from what I heard of those that were here and saw for themselves. The White Knight, who introduced himself as Maelstrom, did pull the sword out of the stone, but he did not accept his place as King in the end. None knew the reason why."

"Maelstrom...?" Arturia mumbled the name. It was a very strange name, and no one would dare to call themselves a force of nature unless they were afflicted with hubris. Even so, there was only one person she knew had such a name, albeit it was in a different language. Once she understood, she frowned and turned away from the crowd to the hill; to where a cloaked and hooded man seated. _If he's the rightful King then what I am? For what purpose am I here?_

"Are you no longer interested?" Gawain called out from behind, but Arturia did not reply.

"So you came back here again," Merlin said once Arturia stood before the sword in the stone.

"Yes," Arturia replied simply before wrapping her hand around the hilt of the golden blade. "I wanted to know whether I have the capacity to be a King."

"What will you do afterward? Will you place the sword back into its place again like he did?"

"No, I am not him," she responded as her grip on the handle tightened. "I will carry out the obligation that I was born and raised to fulfill."

Merlin sighed. "I see. I will not stop you, but you must think through this very carefully, Arturia. The moment you reclaim your birthright, you will separate yourself from everyone else. You will no longer be Arturia, but Artoria Pendragon, the son of Uther Pendragon. Everything will change."

_Everything will change. _

Her conviction wavered in that instant as her grip loosened. She was prepared the moment she was born, but somewhere in her mind, she hesitated. Something had already changed within her. She did not wish what made up Arturia to vanish. The happy cheering and roaring of the crowd reinforced her grip, however. They'd entirely forgotten what the Selection of King was about and enjoyed the little entertainment provided by the White Knight.

She wanted them to continue feeling that way.

With an accepted nod, she pulled the sword out of the stone in one motion. There was no resistant as if it wanted to be free. Caliburn glowed golden as she pointed at the sky. A beam of intense light erupted from its tip, blasting vertically into the sky.

The heaven reciprocated, bathing in brilliant, raining golden rays all over the land.

The masses surrounding the white Knight became deadly silent as they looked in surprise at the blinding pillar of light.

"It's about time. I was wondering when someone did," Naruto mumbled lowly as he narrowed his eyes at the future King before widening them in shock. He jumped over the massive crowd and dashed toward the beacon of light. "Arturia! It can't be!"

Hearing her name, she lowered the holy sword towards the ground. The golden sky dimmed slowly when she did, but a single beam of light shone down upon her and him. She eyed the White Knight with an impassive face while the masses approached the spot from behind him.

"What is a King, Maelstrom?"

Naruto could only stare at her blinkingly, unable to utter a single word. While she waited for her answer, the masses behind him began whispering among themselves. From what could be overheard, the vast majority refused to believe a petite boy with pretty face, a squire no less, was able to pull the sword out of the stone and be equal to that of their herald White Knight.

She pursed her lips and pointed the sword at him. "What is a King, Naruto?"

"Someone who can save this country," Naruto said finally. He knew that someone must take his place when he wished to change his destiny in exchange for his eternal servitude, but he had made one fatal mistake. He'd assumed her fate was entwined with his.

_Akasha! Please answer me. Why can't Alaya have someone else? _He implored desperately.

Akasha, existing outside of time and space, remained silent as always. Remorsefully, he outstretched his hand. "Arturia, I –

"A King does not lie," Arturia interjected simply.

He understood the meaning behind those words and collapsed the outstretched palm into a fist. He retrieved it and placed it across his chest. "I shall stand by your side even to the bitter end," he repeated his vow from those months ago and dropped to one knee. He was kneeling before Arturia. "What is your command, my King?"

The people behind him were speechless when he did. They couldn't believe what was happening, but with his example, any doubts and augments they just had vanished instantly. Their heart and mind were united, and they all found themselves kneeling in front of the once and future King.

* * *

**Author Note: **

Hmm… that's the conclusion of the first arc. It didn't seem to change much, but there are a lot of subtle differences. They are important to the storyline. The next arc is called Kingdom of Heaven and should commence shortly if this story is not on hiatus. Mordred should appear half way through it. By the way, Mordred does not exist in the events that Naruto was King.

Following the event where Naruto was King and leading into Fate/Stay Night with Sakura's route, Shirou will summon Naruto as Saber, the King of Kings, since Avalon actually belongs to him. Furthermore, Fate Zero events do play out differently, and he's very protective of Ilya even though she hated and wanted to kill him for what happened to her parents.

* * *

**Information:**

Alaya, simply refer as the world, is one of two distinct counter forces. It is the collective unconsciousness of mankind, the drive for survival. Alaya constantly steers mankind away from extinction. The other one is Gaia.

In comparison, Akasha, the Root/Radix, is a metaphysical location within the Nasuverse as the force that exists at the top of all theories on dimensions. It is the location of the Akashic Records, the Swirl of the Root, which is the source of all events and phenomena in the universe. Existing outside of time, it stores and archives information of all possibilities and events, past, present, and future, of the world. It is the place from where all souls, including those of Heroic Spirits recorded on the Throne of Heroes, originate from and to where they return after death.

As hinted in this chapter, Akasha is what had granted Naruto the wish to change destiny in exchange for his eternal servitude later on as Keeper of Record and Guardian of the Thrones. Since it exists outside of time, he already is its servant. Generally, his task is to collect all heroic spirits from infinite worlds for an eternity, including the Elemental Nations. It also granted him the most OP Noble Phantasm called Gate of Heroes, which will prominently show in Rin's story.


	9. Teaser: End of Eternity

**Sword of Destiny (NarutoxFateStayNight)**

**Legal Disclaimer: **This story is a work of fiction. All the characters designs, name and places belong to their respective owners.

It is a teaser for another that set in the same universe (Tales of the Crimson Knight), and it is **_not_** a real chapter to this story, but the background information it described is somewhat cannoned. The first arc (Road to Knighthood) of Sword of Destiny has ended last chapter, and the next arc (Kingdom of Heaven) will begin as soon as I get the motivation to do so.

(…) – A lot of truncate content (since this is just a teaser).

* * *

**=[End of Eternity]=  
Teaser**

Drip… drip… drip… dozens of deep red droplets detached from the fractured armor and fell towards the earth, joining all the ones that went before, filling up the ominous crimson pool. Blood flowed over the wall made of flesh, streaming down the artificial mountain, which was hastily erected by corpses.

He panted heavily as both of his hands gripped the handle of his blade of eternal darkness, forged and crafted from the metallic mineral of his homeland, tightly. His homeland… his world… it felt like another lifetime ago. Lifting his weapon up, he pointed the tip of the blade at his target, and with an unwavering thrust downward, the deadly edge pierced through the only other person that was still breathing. The dying Knight let out a low groan as he expired.

After a long week of nonstop fighting, it was finally over. Only the peaceful silence filled the air.

His gauntleted hands fell off the bandaged handle of the sword as his weary muscle found the strength within them to pull his heavy body into a fully upright position. The former golden and white armor he had adorned now dyed completely in red. Those that he had fought long ago had called him the crimson knight; the knight of calamity. It was a befitting name even that was no longer true.

He turned his back towards the erected single edged sword and began his slow decent from the top, randomly stepping on the shattered remains of unfathomable Noble Phantasm that were littered all over the desolated battlefield. He'd destroyed each and every one of them along with their wielder in the final clash. Both were unneeded in the world… just like him.

As his feet firmly stomped onto the blood soaked earth, the pair of blue eyes within his crowned helmet captured the hued horizon, contaminated with black smokes. The insufferable smell of burning flesh still nauseated him even after all these years. Feeling all his accomplishments were for naught, he dropped to his knees. He understood the simple truth in those serene days on the simple pasture belonging to his adopted father, when she was by his side, dreaming of a better world together. Everlasting peace was impossible to achieve as long as there were people left in the world. She understood it long before he did, but such knowledge did not stop her from helping him reaching it.

Reach it, he'd accomplished, and for a short time, the vast empire he forged with her, spanning across all of Europe, did achieved what one would call an everlasting peace. There was no doubt in anyone mind that he was a good leader, but as a ruler, he failed in many regards, but then again, there was simply no such thing as a perfect ruler. Everyone has their own flaw, their own weakness. He was not an exception. Against her stern advice, he truly believed everyone could change for the better if given the chance. That was his mistake, and her untimely death literally broke what remained of his world.

With her gone, the foundation they built together began to crumple ever more quickly. Constant revolt and rebellion erupted across the land, caused by the machinations of his once loyal vassals. Because of his leniency – his humanity – the endless blood shed that ravaged the land was in full swing once more, and the seemingly unstoppable empire fractured and began to devour itself.

Everything was over in mere days.

He looked up at the gloomy sky as all that he held dear seemed like an illusion. His wish – his desire – was unspoken. He wanted to change his destiny by returning the golden sword back to the stone so that it could endlessly wait for its master… then maybe… just maybe they could live as a real family, raising little princes and princesses, growing old side by side, forgetting all about whatever was going on in the world. He would trade all that he was for a short lifetime with her once more.

Akaska, the Swirl of Root, heard his pledge, but it refused to reach out even though he repeated it numerous of times, adding more into the bargain with each repetition.

He eventually unhelmet himself, showing his eyes were red from shedding all the tears he had. They streamed like river down his whispered face, mixing with the blood of all those that he ended. How many had fallen under his blade? Their faces of all those that fell were all blurred. He didn't want to kill anymore. He was tired and alone. He didn't want to be alone anymore. The past few months without his Queen were torturous. He closed his eyes, lifting his head. He wanted to close his eyes forever in order stay with the feminine Knight, who adorned silvery armor while her blond hair bounded by red ribbon.

"Arturia," Naruto called her name straight as he mentally ordered his weapon back to him

The embedded katana situated on top of a mountain of corpse shook heavily as it was yanked out of the corpse with a powerful gravity force. It swirled and spun as it flew towards its one and only master, who had no intention of catching it. The spinning blade passed by him before embedding deep into the earth once more. It had claimed its last life, and its master fell headless towards the ground.

(…)

Naruto at first did not understand why he was brought back into the world. It was not the world he'd been born in, and it was not the world he'd died in. It was a different world. It was a third world; a parallel world. That much he understood the moment the Holy Grail embedded a plethora of knowledge into his mind in order to prepare him for another war.

He didn't want to fight another pointless war. He only wanted to dream until the end of eternity, but seeing her again made him realized how much he had missed her so. Sadly, seeing her also brought forth great sorrows. She was not the same person who shared his dream. Yet, she had the same face, same disposition, and same ideals. It bothered him. She was not his Arturia.

His blue eyes sharpened as glowing chains wrapped around his arms and legs. His mind sought out and connected to his master, a purpled-haired girl with matching pair of eyes. As a master, her will was far weaker than what he would expect of one. How she was able to summon him as her servant, he wasn't sure, but even so, she was his master.

"Master… please forgive me if I cause you pain," he sent the warning. His master did not reply, but he felt his power increased greatly. "Thank you."

"Please… don't hurt him," Sakura responded.

"He is not my target," Naruto responded as the chains around his arms unraveled and flicked along the air menacingly. He entered his combat stance, facing his opponent. "Show me that you're worthy of carrying her name, Arturia Pendragon."

Saber remained steadfast with her Noble Phantasm, Excalibur, sheathed by air. She didn't know how the blond servant of Shinji Matou knew her true name since she had never revealed it. "You have me at a disadvantage, Rider. You know my name, yet, I do not know yours."

Naruto closed his eyes for but a fraction of a second before opening it fully again. Even if he summoned from another parallel timeline, his name and title remained true. "I am Naruto Uzumaki, known as the White Knight of Heaven, the Crimson Knight of Calamity, and the King of Kings."

– **End of Teaser** –

As Rider, the heroine of the story (End of Eternity) is Sakura, but as always, Saber plays quite a large role in it. End of Eternity's events occur when Akaska, the Radix, refuse to reach out and grant his wish to change his destiny, thus his story never actually led into Sword of Destiny (this story). Arturia, who was his Queen, is actually modeled after Saber Lily in both appearance and mannerism. Her gender isn't a topic of discussion since she never hid it. Naruto will see a stark contrast between the Arturia he knew and love dearly to the Arturia he admired (and served).

**_The Devil's Opera _**is Nero's route. **_Faith of a Ruler_** is Jeanne's Route.**_ Gate of Heroes_** is Rin's Route, and finally (for now), **_The Lost Kunai_** is Illya's Route. Yes, if you didn't know already, that story is part of the Crimson Knight series even though it doesn't seem like it. You can read each story individually and as standalone, but reading all of them will let you see something interesting.

* * *

**So when is the next real update for Sword of Destiny? **Well… let's look at tabulated **_interest_** (you can read more about it on my profile)

For every two or three chapters, I have a check of the interest ranking using the numbers of favorites and reviews. The numbers of following is not use in the calculation at all because people follow me instead of the story itself. 411 divide by 20 is roughly 21. The number is the amount of feedback/review per chapter to keep it going on regular updates (once a week).

Chapter 1 – 22 responses (okay)  
Chapter 2 – 19 responses (**failed**)  
Chapter 3 – 15 responses (**failed**)  
Chapter 4 – 33 responses (okay)  
Chapter 5 – 16 responses (**failed**)  
Chapter 6 – 16 responses (**failed**)  
Chapter 7 – 38 responses (okay)  
Chapter 8 – 26 responses (okay)

The failed chapter is killing my motivation right now, and thus the story hasn't been update even though I've already written up the plotline to the fifth arc. The reason this story isn't on 6 months plus hiatus at this moment is because 21 multiples 8 gives me 168. The total review count is at 185, which is a higher number, but this story is hanging by a thin thread.

Before you call me out as this is some kind of extortion, I'm pretty sure there are 21 of you who actually love this story and wanted to continue. Excuses… You don't want to write anything for me huh? Fine, I can do the same as well. I'm not writing anything for you either. Any future update for Sword of Destiny is now pushed back into May as April deals with all Game of Throne stories on my list. I will tabulate the numbers again in May unless someone say something interesting in the review. You can criticize and insult me as much as you like to boost the number, but I don't really take that shit seriously.


End file.
